What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k 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	Barnstead	Bennington
People
Population	4,994Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.8±3.1Highest about the NH average	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Barnstead and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±5Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±4.8Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Barnstead and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2.9Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Barnstead and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$75Highest 6% below NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
	Barnstead and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,003Highest 10% below NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±50.9Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Barnstead and Bennington 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%	4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 16% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	13%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Barnstead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Barnstead 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.