What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

Dummer has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

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	Lyme	Dummer
People
Population	1,710Highest	299Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH	53.6±6.4Highest 24% above NH
	Dummer and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%	19.4%±5.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Lyme and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	21.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Lyme and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	16.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	0%±5.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Lyme and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH	$91,250±$21kLowest 8% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$242,200±$51kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130 5% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$2,898Lowest 57% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977 2 yrs older than NH	1977 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below NH	25 minHighest 6% below NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	6.8%±4.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Lyme School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.