What stands out worked out from the figures below

Goffstown has the most affordable homes ($377k median).

Wilmington has the most expensive homes ($681k 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	Goffstown	Wilmington
People
Population	18,513Lowest	23,336Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±3.1Lowest 6% above U.S.	42.3±2.2Highest 9% above U.S.
	Wilmington and Goffstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.6%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Goffstown and Wilmington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.5%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,958±$12kLowest 41% above U.S.	$168,152±$19kHighest 108% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$377,400±$20kLowest 13% above U.S.	$680,500±$19kHighest 105% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,231±$161Lowest 13% below U.S.	$2,394±$328Highest 69% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,941Lowest 123% above U.S.	$7,704Highest 147% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.1%±20Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.9%±2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wilmington and Goffstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	13.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#35 of 120 in NH	#73 of 282 in MA
School district	Goffstown School District	—
High school in town	Goffstown High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
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.