What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Calais has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.4%).

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	Calais
People
Population	1,588Lowest	1,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Highest 8% above U.S.	42±8.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Bennington and Calais are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Calais are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Calais 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Calais 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 4% above U.S.	$100,625±$27kHighest 25% above U.S.
	Calais 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 20% below U.S.	$390,300±$36kHighest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 9% below U.S.	$1,408±$392Highest about the U.S. average
	Calais and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Lowest 91% above U.S.	$6,586Highest 111% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49%±38.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Calais and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	31 minLowest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.4%±7.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Calais and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.