What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Exeter has the most people working from home (19.9%).

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	Exeter
People
Population	2,682Lowest	16,151Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+12.2%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 24% above NH	45.8±2.3Lowest 6% above NH
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	17%±2.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Exeter 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%	24.4%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Exeter 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%	59.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	6.1%±1.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Gorham and Exeter 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	$110,346±$13kHighest 11% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH	$456,600±$21kHighest 13% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH	$1,856±$223Highest 24% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH	$8,814Highest 32% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest NH: 48.2%	59%±11.3Highest NH: 48.2%
	Exeter 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%	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	69.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1979Highest same as 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%	19.9%±3.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#22 of 120 in NH
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Exeter School District
High school in town	Gorham High School	Exeter High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	59 photos →

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.