What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lincoln has the most expensive homes ($342k 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	Lincoln
People
Population	410Lowest	1,461Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.9% NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH	46.8±10.1Lowest 8% above NH
	Dorchester and Lincoln 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%	19.4%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lincoln 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 NH: 20.1%	28.3%±7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Lincoln are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%	38.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	1.6%±1.7Highest NH: 6%
	Lincoln and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$70,625±$54k 29% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$342,000±$38kHighest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,143±$498 23% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Highest 43% below NH	$2,984Lowest 55% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	49.7%±26Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lincoln 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%	6.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	72%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.3%±8.1Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lincoln and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Lincoln-Woodstock Cooperative School District
High school in town	—	Lin-Wood Public School (High)
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.4
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.