What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most people working from home (12.5%).

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	Dalton	Gorham
People
Population	6,256Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±5.8Lowest 28% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
	Gorham and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dalton and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,438±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,700±$26kHighest 11% below U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$872±$70Highest 38% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Dalton and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,276Lowest 37% above U.S.	$4,334Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±19Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dalton and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	12.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#192 of 282 in MA	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Central Berkshire	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Wahconah Regional High	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.