What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Bath has the most expensive homes ($423k 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	West Bath
People
Population	1,588Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	54.2±5.6Highest 39% above U.S.
	West Bath 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%	14.7%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.4%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	West Bath 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 4% above U.S.	$103,333±$27kHighest 28% above U.S.
	West Bath 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 20% below U.S.	$422,800±$102kHighest 27% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.	$1,112±$327Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Bennington and West Bath 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.	$3,516Lowest 13% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.1%±26.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	West Bath and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.1%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	West Bath 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	West Bath Public Schools
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.