What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Amherst has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

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	Orford	Amherst
People
Population	1,295Lowest	11,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.9%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	45.9±3.5Lowest 6% above NH
	Orford and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	22.4%±3.3Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	20.2%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Orford and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Lowest NH: 40.6%	65.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.7%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kLowest 7% below NH	$153,196±$10kHighest 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$537,600±$30kHighest 34% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$1,462±$256Highest about the NH average
	Amherst and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$9,773Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	31.4%±9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	91.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	33 minHighest 22% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	32.4%±5.5Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	10.4Highest
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.