What stands out worked out from the figures below

Andover has the most expensive homes ($367k median).

Bennington has the most kids (26% under 18).

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	Andover	Bennington
People
Population	2,135Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46±11.6Highest 6% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Andover and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	28.1%±7.7Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±2.2Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,514±$27kHighest 11% below NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Andover and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$366,500±$44kHighest 9% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,211±$190Lowest 19% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,962Highest 11% below NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±8.3Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Andover and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978 1 yr older than NH	1978 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 28% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	11.7%±5Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Andover School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.