What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Bennington
People
Population	2,682Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kHighest 24% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Gorham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Gorham High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.