What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pepperell has the most people working from home (18.1%).

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	Pepperell
People
Population	2,682Lowest	11,663Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	42.4±3.3Lowest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Pepperell 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.	$124,073±$12kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$482,100±$14kHighest 45% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,295±$238Highest 8% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$6,698Highest 115% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.1%±16.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pepperell 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%	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.1%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#153 of 282 in MA
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Gorham High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0	—
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.