What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Laconia has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Laconia
People
Population	1,588Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia 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%	18.4%±2.9Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Laconia 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%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Highest NH: 6%
	Laconia 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 15% below NH	$73,218±$12kLowest 26% below NH
	Bennington and Laconia 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	$340,300±$16kHighest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,224±$107Lowest 18% below NH
	Bennington and Laconia 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	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Bennington 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%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	64.2%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	None in town	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
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.