What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dublin has the most people working from home (22%).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Dublin	Gardner
People
Population	1,688Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.3±8.4Highest 27% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Dublin and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dublin and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25%±4.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dublin and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardner and Dublin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,659±$14kHighest 30% above U.S.	$67,518±$8kLowest 16% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,500±$72kHighest 29% above U.S.	$301,600±$20kLowest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,325±$165Highest 6% below U.S.	$1,109±$51Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Dublin and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,165Highest 162% above U.S.	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±8.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	22%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Dublin and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Gardner
High school in town	None in town	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.5
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.