What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most people working from home (12%).

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Cornish	Gorham
People
Population	1,816Lowest	2,682Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest NH: +4.6%	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 25% above NH	53.9±3.6Lowest 24% above NH
	Cornish and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Highest NH: 18.2%	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Cornish and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	31.7%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	20.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest NH: 6%	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 7% below NH	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 26% below NH	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 18% below NH	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 13% below NH	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	41%±20.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gorham and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	12%±4.1Highest NH: 16.8%	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Cornish School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.