What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bristol has the most people working from home (11.8%).

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	Bristol
People
Population	2,682Lowest	3,273Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+6.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 24% above NH	42.7±5.7Lowest about the NH average
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	24.3%±6.4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1%	23.2%±4.9Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Bristol 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 NH: 40.6%	35.5%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	3.6%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Gorham and Bristol 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 38% below NH	$78,438±$10kHighest 21% below NH
	Bristol 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 60% below NH	$258,300±$63kHighest 36% below NH
	Bristol and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH	$1,310±$97Highest 12% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Highest 35% below NH	$4,162Lowest 38% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	46.3%±14.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bristol 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 NH: 7.2%	10.3%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	28 minHighest 4% above NH
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.8%±5.2Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#79 of 120 in NH
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Newfound Area School District
High school in town	Gorham High School	Newfound Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.