What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has the oldest population (median age 53.9).

Middlebury has the most people working from home (18.8%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury
People
Population	2,682Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gorham and Middlebury 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%	20.7%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$86,169±$16kHighest 7% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±14.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middlebury 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%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Gorham High School	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.6Highest
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.