What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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	Ripton
People
Population	1,588Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Highest 23% above U.S.
	Ripton 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%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,875±$7kLowest 4% above U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150 9% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.	$4,915Lowest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton 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%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ripton 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	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
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.