What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most expensive homes ($359k 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	Washington
People
Population	410Lowest	1,208Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% NH: +4.6%
Median age	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH	55±4.7Lowest 27% above NH
	Dorchester and Washington 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%	13.8%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Washington 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%	29%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Washington 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 NH: 40.6%	32%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%	4.6%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Washington and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$89,453±$12k 10% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH	$358,600±$32kHighest 11% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,106±$160 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH	$4,321Highest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 NH: 48.2%	0%±88.9 NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	8.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	94.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 50% above NH	36 minLowest 33% above NH
Work from home	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±5.3Highest NH: 16.8%
	Washington and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Washington School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.