What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Orange has the highest household income ($119k).

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	Orange
People
Population	1,588Highest	320Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	42.1±7.8Highest about the NH average	41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH
	Bennington and Orange 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%	20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Orange 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%	20%±5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Orange 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%	37.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6%
	Orange 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	$118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH
	Orange and Bennington 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	$302,600±$35kHighest 25% below NH
	Orange and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150 13% below NH	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 11% below NH	$5,132Lowest 23% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Orange 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%	9.4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	97.5%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	28 minLowest 5% above NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8%
	Orange and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	—
High school 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.