What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

Strong has the most affordable homes ($184k 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	Strong
People
Population	1,588Highest	1,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	47.5±8.9Highest 22% above U.S.
	Strong 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%	19.5%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Strong 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%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Strong are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,875±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.	$47,557±$10kLowest 41% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kHighest 20% below U.S.	$183,900±$29kLowest 45% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$920±$276Lowest 35% below U.S.
	Bennington and Strong 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.	$1,950Lowest 37% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	20.9%±52.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Strong 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%	13.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	31 minLowest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.5%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Strong 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	RSU 58/MSAD 58
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.