What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stratham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).

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	Stratham
People
Population	1,295Lowest	7,754Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	41.6±4.9Lowest 4% below NH
	Orford and Stratham 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%	23.5%±5.3Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Orford and Stratham 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%	69.9%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	3.9%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Stratham 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	$151,998±$20kHighest 53% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kLowest 32% below NH	$655,400±$36kHighest 63% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$2,511±$377Highest 68% above NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$9,781Highest 47% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Lowest NH: 48.2%	64%±38.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Stratham 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%	2.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	27 minHighest about the NH average
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	25.3%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#43 of 120 in NH
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Exeter Region Cooperative School District · Stratham School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.