What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

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	Effingham
People
Population	1,588Lowest	1,912Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH
	Effingham 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%	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Effingham 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%	18.7%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Effingham 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%	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,875±$7kHighest 15% below NH	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH
	Bennington and Effingham 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	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH
	Bennington and Effingham 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	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Effingham 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%	9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	90.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	32 minLowest 18% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham 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	Governor Wentworth Regional 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.