What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

Lancaster has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	Lancaster
People
Population	1,588Lowest	3,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%	-8.2%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	45.5±6.9Highest 5% above NH
	Lancaster 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%	20.9%±6.1Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Lancaster 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%	28.4%±5.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	30.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	2.9%±2.2Highest NH: 6%
	Lancaster 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	$68,911±$23kLowest 30% below NH
	Bennington and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kHighest 34% below NH	$215,700±$24kLowest 46% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,019±$263Lowest 32% below NH
	Bennington and Lancaster 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	$4,226Lowest 37% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	36.1%±17Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Lancaster 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%	16.7%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	75.1%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1942Lowest 37 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	23 minLowest 14% below NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%	11.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Lancaster 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	—	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	White Mountains 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.