What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	1,295Lowest	1,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH
	Orford and Lyme 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%	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Lowest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lyme 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%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Lyme 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	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH
	Lyme 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%±10.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme and Orford 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%	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1977Highest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 4% below NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Lyme 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.