What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Brandon has the most people working from home (9.9%).

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	Brandon
People
Population	2,682Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	50.1±3.1Lowest 29% above U.S.
	Gorham and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brandon 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%	22.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Brandon 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%	32.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Brandon 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.	$64,180±$12kHighest 21% below U.S.
	Brandon and Gorham 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.	$227,800±$23kHighest 32% below U.S.
	Brandon 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.	$1,064±$225Highest 25% below U.S.
	Brandon and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Highest 39% above U.S.	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±15.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brandon 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%	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Gorham High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	9.9Highest
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.