What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ira has the oldest population (median age 54.1).

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	Ira
People
Population	1,588Highest	381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	54.1±5.5Highest 39% above U.S.
	Ira 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 U.S.: 22%	10.5%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ira 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±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.	$71,827±$5kLowest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.	$272,900±$18kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Ira and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$942±$52Lowest 33% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.	$4,146Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.4%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Ira 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%	14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	28 minLowest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	2.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	—
High school 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.