What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waterville has the oldest population (median age 49.1).

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	Waterville
People
Population	1,588Highest	680Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	49.1±8.2Highest 26% above U.S.
	Waterville 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%	20.4%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Waterville 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%	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waterville 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±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.	$71,250±$27kLowest 12% below U.S.
	Bennington and Waterville 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.	$236,300±$15kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,110±$93Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Bennington and Waterville 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.	$3,957Lowest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.6%±27.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterville 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%	4.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minLowest 40% above U.S.	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A
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.