What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most expensive homes ($384k median).

Dorchester has the most affordable homes ($140k median).

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	Springfield	Dorchester
People
Population	1,122Highest	410Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	51.4±8.8Lowest 19% above NH	56±10.5Highest 29% above NH
	Dorchester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±8Highest NH: 18.2%	11.2%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Springfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±1.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	39.8%±15.5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	35.8%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.5Lowest NH: 6%	0.5%±3.1Highest NH: 6%
	Dorchester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,893±$19k about the NH average	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,100±$50kHighest 5% below NH	$139,600±$133kLowest 65% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$217 26% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,946Highest 11% below NH	$3,779Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.9%±64.8Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Springfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	18.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest NH: 72.8%	96.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1973Lowest 6 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 29% above NH	40 minHighest 50% above NH
Work from home	16.7%±11.6Highest NH: 16.8%	12.2%±8.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Springfield and Dorchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.