What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

Gilsum has the shortest commute (27 min average).

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	Middleton	Gilsum
People
Population	1,595Highest	716Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Highest NH: +4.6%	-7.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.5±5.7Lowest about the NH average	44.8±8.1Highest 3% above NH
	Gilsum and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±4.2Highest NH: 18.2%	12%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Middleton and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±2Lowest NH: 20.1%	19.3%±1.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Gilsum and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	18.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±2.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Middleton and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,696±$8kHighest about the NH average	$80,417±$7kLowest 19% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$312,300±$27kHighest 22% below NH	$241,500±$32kLowest 40% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,500±$293Lowest about the NH average	$1,575±$894Highest 6% above NH
	Gilsum and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,504Lowest 17% below NH	$5,579Highest 16% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	83.3%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	76.5%±55.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Middleton and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest NH: 7.2%	13.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	93.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1972Lowest 7 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 45% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	14.1%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	11.9%±8.7Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Middleton and Gilsum are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Middleton School District	Monadnock Regional School District
High school in town	None 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.