What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most people working from home (12.5%).

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	Dalton
People
Population	2,682Lowest	6,256Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	49.7±5.8Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Gorham and Dalton 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%	20.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dalton 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%	27.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Dalton 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%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$79,438±$8kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$295,700±$26kHighest 11% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$872±$70Highest 38% below U.S.
	Dalton 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.	$4,276Lowest 37% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.2%±19Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dalton 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%	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Gorham High School	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	10.9Highest
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.