What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mont Vernon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.3%).

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	Mont Vernon
People
Population	1,588Lowest	2,636Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+7.3%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	42.9±2.8Highest about the NH average
	Mont Vernon 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%	22.1%±3.8Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Mont Vernon 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%	15.6%±3.1Highest NH: 20.1%
	Mont Vernon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%	50.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	6.1%±2.8Highest NH: 6%
	Mont Vernon 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	$158,036±$19kHighest 60% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH	$526,300±$39kHighest 31% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,104±$185Lowest 26% below NH
	Bennington and Mont Vernon 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	$9,432Highest 41% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	51.4%±80.8Highest NH: 48.2%
	Mont Vernon 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%	95.9%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978 1 yr older than NH	1978 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	30 minLowest 12% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	26.6%±6.6Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#4 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Mont Vernon 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.