What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

Gilsum has the most affordable homes ($242k 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	Gilsum
People
Population	1,912Highest	716Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	-7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH	44.8±8.1Lowest 3% above NH
	Effingham and Gilsum 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%	12%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Effingham and Gilsum 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%	19.3%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Gilsum 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%	18.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.3Highest NH: 6%
	Gilsum 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±$14kLowest 23% below NH	$80,417±$7kHighest 19% below NH
	Gilsum and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH	$241,500±$32kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,575±$894Highest 6% above NH
	Gilsum and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH	$5,579Highest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	76.5%±55.4Highest NH: 48.2%
	Gilsum 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%	13.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±8.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.