What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Barnstead has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Bennington	Barnstead
People
Population	1,588Lowest	4,994Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	42.8±3.1Highest 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	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%	21%±5Lowest 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+	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	20.6%±4.8Highest 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+	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	5.9%±2.9Highest 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	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH	$111,660±$12kHighest 13% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH	$362,400±$25kHighest 10% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH	$1,395±$75Highest 6% 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	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH	$6,003Highest 10% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	47.6%±50.9Highest 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	4%Highest NH: 7.2%	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	93.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	31 minLowest 16% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13%±4.5Lowest 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	Contoocook Valley School District	Barnstead 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.