What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has the shortest commute (23 min average).

Hardwick 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	Hardwick
People
Population	2,682Lowest	2,965Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	47.1±7.4Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Gorham and Hardwick 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%	15.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick 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%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Hardwick 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%	33.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Hardwick 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 24% below U.S.	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$184,700±$39kHighest 44% below U.S.
	Hardwick and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$875±$406Highest 38% below U.S.
	Hardwick and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$4,351Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±41.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hardwick 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%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	76.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#68 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26
High school in town	Gorham High School	Hazen Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Highest	8.6Lowest
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.