What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the most people working from home (20%).

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	Dedham	Gorham
People
Population	25,237Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±1.6Lowest 15% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	21.9%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,955±$10kHighest 60% above U.S.	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$661,800±$16kHighest 99% above U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,042±$182Highest 45% above U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,918Highest 154% above U.S.	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±10Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dedham and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	20%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#119 of 282 in MA	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Dedham	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Dedham High	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	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.