What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).

Amherst has the most expensive homes ($538k 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	Dorchester	Amherst
People
Population	410Lowest	11,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.9% NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH	45.9±3.5Lowest 6% above NH
	Dorchester and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%	20.2%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	3.7%±1.5Highest NH: 6%
	Amherst and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$153,196±$10k 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,462±$256 about the NH average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH	$9,773Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	31.4%±9Highest NH: 48.2%
	Amherst and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	91.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above NH	33 minLowest 22% above NH
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	—	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	—	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
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.