What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gilford has the most expensive homes ($457k median).

Bristol has the most affordable homes ($258k 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	Gilford	Bristol
People
Population	7,830Highest	3,273Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+6.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.2±3.9Highest 11% above NH	42.7±5.7Lowest about the NH average
	Gilford and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	24.3%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bristol and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	23.2%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bristol and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	3.6%±2Highest NH: 6%
	Bristol and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,635±$11kHighest 18% above NH	$78,438±$10kLowest 21% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,500±$56kHighest 13% above NH	$258,300±$63kLowest 36% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$747Lowest 23% below NH	$1,310±$97Highest 12% below NH
	Bristol and Gilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,868Highest 27% below NH	$4,162Lowest 38% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.2%±8.5Highest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±14.2Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Gilford and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	28 minHighest 4% above NH
Work from home	16.9%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±5.2Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Gilford and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#45 of 120 in NH	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	Gilford School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Gilford High School	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5	11.5
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.