What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has the most people working from home (16.1%).

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k 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	Effingham	Berlin
People
Population	1,912Lowest	9,383Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH	44.6±2.8Lowest 3% above NH
	Effingham and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%	17.2%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.1%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Berlin and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	14.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	2.7%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Berlin and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,607±$14kHighest 23% below NH	$45,180±$5kLowest 54% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH	$131,000±$15kLowest 67% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Highest 27% below NH	$815±$141Lowest 45% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 23% below NH	$3,437Lowest 48% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	43.7%±12Highest NH: 48.2%
	Berlin and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	15.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	62.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1938Lowest 41 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	19 minLowest 30% below NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	3.5%±2.1Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#108 of 120 in NH
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Berlin School District
High school in town	None in town	Berlin Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.2
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.