What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Essex Junction has the most people working from home (16.9%).

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	Essex Junction
People
Population	2,682Lowest	10,803Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+14.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	39.3±3.1Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8 U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.2 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$89,257±$16kHighest 11% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$407,500±$20kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,544±$135Highest 9% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$6,797Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	61.3%±14.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Essex Junction 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%	9.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	59.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#14 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51
High school in town	Gorham High School	Essex High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.7Highest
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.