What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k median).

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

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	Gorham	Arlington
People
Population	2,682Highest	2,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$318,500±$59kHighest 4% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,191±$172Highest 16% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$4,549Highest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#50 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Arlington School District
High school in town	Gorham High School	Arlington Memorial
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	10.6Highest
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.