What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k median).

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($645k 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	Lyme
People
Population	1,588Lowest	1,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7% NH: +4.6%	+1.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH
	Lyme 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%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Lyme 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%	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme 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±$7kLowest 15% below NH	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH
	Lyme and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme 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%	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Lyme 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.