What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampton Beach has the most expensive homes ($509k median).

Dorchester has the most kids (11.2% under 18).

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	Hampton Beach	Dorchester
People
Population	2,605Highest	410Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+14.2% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	60.4±2.4Highest 39% above NH	56±10.5Lowest 29% above NH
	Hampton Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	3.1%±2.8Lowest NH: 18.2%	11.2%±4.4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	33.7%±4.1Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Dorchester and Hampton Beach are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest NH: 40.6%	35.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±0.7Highest NH: 6%	0.5%±3.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Hampton Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,557±$17k 17% below NH	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$508,900±$76kHighest 26% above NH	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,375±$130 8% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,115Highest 8% below NH	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.7%±20.2Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Hampton Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest NH: 7.2%	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.9%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1973Highest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below NH	40 minHighest 50% above NH
Work from home	26.9%±6.1Highest NH: 16.8%	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Hampton Beach and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.