What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gilsum has the highest household income ($80k).

Barnet has the most kids (21.6% under 18).

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	Gilsum	Barnet
People
Population	716Lowest	1,855Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±8.1Lowest 15% above U.S.	47.7±5.3Highest 23% above U.S.
	Barnet and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.6%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gilsum and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,417±$7kHighest about the U.S. average	$67,386±$15kLowest 17% below U.S.
	Gilsum and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$241,500±$32kLowest 27% below U.S.	$247,900±$24kHighest 25% below U.S.
	Barnet and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,575±$894Highest 11% above U.S.	$974±$72Lowest 31% below U.S.
	Gilsum and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,579Highest 79% above U.S.	$4,489Lowest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	76.5%±55.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59.3%±29.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gilsum and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	11.9%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±4.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barnet and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Monadnock Regional School District	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.