What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most people working from home (14.7%).

Croydon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Croydon
People
Population	1,588Highest	798Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	43±9.1Highest about the NH average
	Croydon 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%±6.3Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Croydon 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%	27.4%±3.6Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	21.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	4%±3.3Highest NH: 6%
	Croydon 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	$98,333±$21kHighest about the NH average
	Croydon 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	$317,300±$33kHighest 21% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$991±$336Lowest 34% below NH
	Bennington and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 11% below NH	$3,806Lowest 43% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	7.1%±75.3Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Croydon 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%	6.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	86.6%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	26 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	5.3%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Croydon 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.