What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dorchester has the most kids (11.2% under 18).

Seabrook Beach has the most expensive homes ($921k 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	Seabrook Beach
People
Population	410Lowest	1,001Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±10.5Lowest 29% above NH	62±3.8Highest 43% above NH
	Seabrook Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.4Highest NH: 18.2%	5.2%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Dorchester and Seabrook Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.8%±15.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	42.1%±7.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Seabrook Beach and Dorchester 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%	39.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	2.2%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Seabrook Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$93,571±$43k 6% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$920,900±$75kHighest 129% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,725±$575 16% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	90.5%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Seabrook Beach 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%	7.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH	1966Lowest 13 yrs 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%	39.5%±20Highest NH: 16.8%
	Seabrook Beach and Dorchester 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

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.