What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

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	Brookline
People
Population	1,295Lowest	5,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+13%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	41.2±1.5Lowest 5% below NH
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	26.7%±4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	11.4%±2.1Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Lowest NH: 40.6%	57.7%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Lowest NH: 6%	6.3%±3.2Highest NH: 6%
	Brookline and Orford 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	$171,046±$4kHighest 73% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$544,400±$38kHighest 35% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$2,500±$1kHighest 68% above NH
	Brookline 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	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	23.8%±43.5Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Brookline 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%	0.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	95.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1993Highest 14 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	33 minHighest 25% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	24.7%±5.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Brookline 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.