What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	1,588Lowest	2,799Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+8.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average	51.1±3.4Highest 18% above NH
	Thornton 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%	13.9%±4.6Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%	19%±4.9Highest NH: 20.1%
	Thornton 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%	46.3%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%	4.8%±2.9Highest NH: 6%
	Thornton 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	$90,022±$17kHighest 9% below NH
	Thornton 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	$351,900±$20kHighest 13% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH	$1,270±$428Lowest 15% below NH
	Bennington and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 11% below NH	$5,032Lowest 25% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%	57.7%±24.7Highest NH: 48.2%
	Thornton 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%	9.2%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%	88.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH	1984Highest 5 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above NH	23 minLowest 15% below NH
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	29.8%±9.7Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Thornton 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.