Gilford is a somewhat small town located in the state of New Hampshire. With a population of 7,860 people and three associated neighborhoods, Gilford is the 41st largest community in New Hampshire.Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Gilford is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Gilford is a town of sales and office workers, professionals, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Gilford who work in management occupations (17.01%), sales jobs (14.29%), and office and administrative support (10.97%). Also of interest is that Gilford has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Gilford telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 15.04% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes. Another notable thing is that Gilford is a major vacation destination. Much of the town’s population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, Gilford’s population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live. Because of many things, Gilford is a very good place for families to consider. With an enviable combination of good schools, low crime, college-educated neighbors who tend to support education because of their own experiences, and a high rate of home ownership in predominantly single-family properties, Gilford really has some of the features that families look for when choosing a good community to raise children. Is Gilford perfect? Of course not, and if you like frenetic nightlife, it will be far from your cup of tea. But overall this is a solid community, with many things to recommend it as a family-friendly place to live. Being a small town, Gilford does not have a public transit system used by locals to get to and from work.The education level of Gilford ranks among the highest in the nation. Of the 25-and-older adult population in Gilford, 43.18% have at least a bachelor's degree. The typical US community has just 21.84% of its adults holding a bachelor's degree or graduate degree. The per capita income in Gilford in 2022 was $53,036, which is upper middle income relative to New Hampshire, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $212,144 for a family of four. The people who call Gilford home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Gilford residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Gilford include Irish, English, Italian, French, and French Canadian. The most common language spoken in Gilford is English. Other important languages spoken here include Korean and French.
