What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most people working from home (19%).

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Windham	Rochester
People
Population	19,188Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Lowest 7% above U.S.	43±1.8Highest 11% above U.S.
	Rochester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Rochester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.	$80,836±$3kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.	$279,100±$10kLowest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$1,369±$72Highest 3% below U.S.
	Rochester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$5,334Highest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rochester and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#95 of 133 in ME	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 14	Rochester School District
High school in town	Windham High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	13.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.