What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most people working from home (15%).

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k 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	Fairlee	Gorham
People
Population	1,066Lowest	2,682Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Lowest 39% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Gorham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fairlee and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,760±$10kHighest 7% below U.S.	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Fairlee and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kHighest 18% below U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,083±$242Highest 23% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Fairlee and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Highest 80% above U.S.	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	15%±7.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
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.