What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most people working from home (19.4%).

Bridgewater has the oldest population (median age 58.3).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham	Bridgewater
People
Population	15,080Highest	1,169Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.1%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	20.8±0.3Lowest 52% below NH	58.3±6.3Highest 35% above NH
Kids under 18	10.3%±2.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	10.8%±3.5Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bridgewater and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.5%±1.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	33.1%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	32.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	55.1%±3.2Highest NH: 6%	1.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,056±$21kHighest 25% above NH	$82,361±$9kLowest 17% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$504,300±$41kHighest 25% above NH	$398,600±$65kLowest about the NH average
	Durham and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,429±$143Highest 4% below NH	$1,125±$201Lowest 25% below NH
	Durham and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$2,823Lowest 58% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±16Highest NH: 48.2%	32.1%±13.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	15.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	11.9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.4%Lowest NH: 72.8%	79.7%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 27% below NH	30 minHighest 13% above NH
Work from home	19.4%±3.5Highest NH: 16.8%	8%±3.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#9 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Oyster River High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	51 photos →	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.