What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardiner has the most affordable homes ($222k median).

Hampton has the most expensive homes ($550k 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	Gardiner	Hampton
People
Population	6,088Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42±3.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gardiner and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardiner and Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,782±$10kLowest 11% below U.S.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$221,600±$19kLowest 33% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$191Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,742Lowest 12% below U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±13.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hampton and Gardiner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#36 of 133 in ME	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 11/MSAD 11	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Gardiner Area High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.