What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Andover has the most expensive homes ($367k 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	Bennington	Andover
People
Population	1,588Lowest	2,135Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.5%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	46±11.6Highest 6% above NH
	Andover and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%	13.3%±3.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	28.1%±7.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	29.7%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	2.7%±2.2Lowest 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	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH	$88,514±$27kHighest 11% 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	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH	$366,500±$44kHighest 9% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,211±$190Lowest 19% 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	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH	$5,962Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	45.1%±8.3Highest 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	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	10.5%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.4%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	37 minHighest 38% above NH	34 minLowest 28% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	11.7%±5Lowest 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	Contoocook Valley School District	Andover 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.