What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Peterborough has the most people working from home (15.8%).

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	Peterborough
People
Population	2,682Lowest	6,408Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.1%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 24% above NH	52.1±1.9Lowest 20% above NH
	Gorham and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	16.3%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
	Peterborough 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%	30.6%±5.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Gorham and Peterborough 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%	62.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest NH: 6%	2%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 38% below NH	$98,401±$8kHighest about the NH average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 60% below NH	$404,500±$31kHighest about the NH average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 44% below NH	$1,395±$209Highest 6% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 35% below NH	$8,655Highest 30% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Highest NH: 48.2%	29.2%±7.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Gorham and Peterborough 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%	5.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	56.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 8 yrs older than NH	1970Lowest 9 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 15% below NH	23 minLowest 16% below NH
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	15.8%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#59 of 120 in NH
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Gorham High School	Conval Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.