What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salem has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Salem
People
Population	2,682Lowest	44,795Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	39.3±1.5Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Salem 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%	17.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	47.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salem and Gorham 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.	$85,153±$5kHighest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$542,800±$18kHighest 63% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,836±$84Highest 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$6,114Highest 96% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54.9%±4.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Salem 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%	12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#248 of 282 in MA
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Salem
High school in town	Gorham High School	Salem High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	9.8Highest
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.