What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Raymond has the most people working from home (32.3%).

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	Raymond
People
Population	1,588Lowest	4,610Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	47.3±4.1Highest 22% above U.S.
	Raymond 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 U.S.: 22%	19.1%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.2%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Raymond 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 U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Raymond 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 4% above U.S.	$88,194±$20kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Raymond 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 20% below U.S.	$395,800±$42kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$965±$397Lowest 32% below U.S.
	Bennington and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,139Lowest about the U.S. average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	38.3%±62.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Raymond and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 min 40% above U.S.	37 min 40% above U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.3%±11.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#112 of 133 in ME
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	RSU 14
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.