What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most people working from home (12.2%).

Guildhall has the most expensive homes ($321k 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	Guildhall
People
Population	410Highest	371Lowest
Median age	56±10.5Highest 44% above U.S.	42.6±7.8Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Dorchester and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.6%±7.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Guildhall and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dorchester and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	1.1%±3.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Guildhall and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$115,000±$46k 42% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 58% below U.S.	$321,200±$62kHighest 3% below U.S.
	Guildhall and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$850±$717 40% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 21% above U.S.	$4,625Highest 48% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	75%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Guildhall 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 U.S.: 12.5%	11.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	93.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 52% above U.S.	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dorchester and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.