What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the highest household income ($93k).

Bath has the most kids (21.3% 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	Orford	Bath
People
Population	1,295Highest	1,097Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0% NH: +4.6%	0% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	48.6±8.6Lowest 12% above NH
	Orford and Bath 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%	21.3%±5.8Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	26.1%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Bath and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Highest NH: 40.6%	26.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	2.4%±2Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kHighest 7% below NH	$67,813±$22kLowest 32% below NH
	Orford and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kHighest 32% below NH	$234,400±$23kLowest 42% below NH
	Orford and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$1,438±$309Highest 4% below NH
	Bath and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Highest 12% below NH	$4,413Lowest 34% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	5.9%±61.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Bath 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%	8.1%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.9%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	26 minHighest 4% below NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	11.1%±3.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bath and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Bath School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.