What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Ashland	Bennington
People
Population	2,183Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.3±11.2Highest about the NH average	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Ashland and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±6.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±5.3Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.7Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,607±$9kLowest 45% below NH	$83,875±$7kHighest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,000±$29kLowest 44% below NH	$267,300±$15kHighest 34% below NH
	Bennington and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$155Lowest 26% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,961Lowest 26% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±14.8Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Ashland and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.1%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Highest 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	26 minLowest 4% below NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	9.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Ashland 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.