What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Chesterfield has the most people working from home (18.9%).

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	Chesterfield
People
Population	2,682Lowest	3,622Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	-1.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 24% above NH	46.8±8.7Lowest 8% above NH
	Gorham and Chesterfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	21.5%±5.4Highest NH: 18.2%
	Chesterfield 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 NH: 20.1%	28.8%±7.3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Chesterfield 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%	45.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	1.5%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH	$102,370±$40kHighest 3% above NH
	Chesterfield 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	$373,500±$33kHighest 7% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH	$1,324±$1kHighest 11% below NH
	Chesterfield and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH	$6,344Highest 5% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	83.7%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Chesterfield 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%	8.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest NH: 72.8%	83.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below NH	25 minHighest 7% below NH
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	18.9%±6.9Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#52 of 120 in NH
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Chesterfield School District
High school in town	Gorham High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0	—
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.