What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harrisville has the most expensive homes ($431k median).

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	Harrisville
People
Population	1,588Highest	885Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+2.4%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	58.9±5.5Highest 36% above NH
Kids under 18	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%	16.4%±6.5Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Harrisville 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%	35.8%±10.5Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	54.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%	1.7%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Harrisville 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	$103,036±$13kHighest 4% above NH
	Harrisville 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	$430,500±$48kHighest 7% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH	$1,611±$367Highest 8% above NH
	Harrisville and Bennington 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	$5,329Lowest 20% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	35%±90.4Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Harrisville 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%	3.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1965Lowest 14 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	27 minLowest about the NH average
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13.4%±5.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Harrisville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Harrisville 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.