What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most people working from home (14.7%).

Troy has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Troy
People
Population	1,588Lowest	1,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	44.5±5.7Highest 14% above U.S.
	Troy 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%	21.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Troy 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%	17.7%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Troy 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Troy 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.	$87,938±$11kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Troy 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±$15kHighest 20% below U.S.	$233,200±$21kLowest 30% below U.S.
	Bennington and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$646±$323Lowest 54% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.	$3,644Lowest 17% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.8%±26.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Troy 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%	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as 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%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.8%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Troy School District
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.