What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gilford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($289k 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	Northfield
People
Population	7,830Highest	4,971Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.2±3.9Highest 11% above NH	42.6±5.1Lowest about the NH average
	Gilford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.5Highest NH: 18.2%	20.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Gilford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±3.2Highest NH: 20.1%	17.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gilford and Northfield 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%	23.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	5.1%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Northfield 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	$92,917±$15kLowest 6% below NH
	Gilford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$456,500±$56kHighest 13% above NH	$288,500±$33kLowest 28% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$747Highest 23% below NH	$1,076±$182Lowest 28% below NH
	Gilford and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,868Lowest 27% below NH	$5,097Highest 24% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.2%±8.5Highest NH: 48.2%	24.1%±14.1Lowest NH: 48.2%
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH	1979Lowest same as NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 18% below NH	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	16.9%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	6.9%±3.6Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#45 of 120 in NH	#109 of 120 in NH
School district	Gilford School District	Winnisquam Regional School District
High school in town	Gilford High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	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.