What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+20%).

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	Auburn
People
Population	1,588Lowest	6,119Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+20%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	44.3±5.9Highest about the NH average
	Auburn 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%	19.3%±4.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Highest NH: 20.1%	13.4%±3.2Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Bennington and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	55.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	7.2%±4.7Highest NH: 6%
	Auburn and Bennington 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	$153,253±$6kHighest 55% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH	$600,300±$29kHighest 49% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH	$1,893±$822Highest 27% above NH
	Auburn and Bennington 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	$8,092Highest 21% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	27.6%±27Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest NH: 7.2%	2.5%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	28 minLowest 4% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	26.5%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#44 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Auburn 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.