What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benton has the most expensive homes ($288k median).

Dummer has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

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	Benton	Dummer
People
Population	386Highest	299Lowest
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH	53.6±6.4Lowest 24% above NH
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.4%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Highest NH: 20.1%	21.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.2%Highest NH: 40.6%	16.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%	0%±5.7Lowest NH: 6%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,895±$4kLowest 31% below NH	$91,250±$21kHighest 8% below NH
	Dummer and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,300±$46kHighest 28% below NH	$242,200±$51kLowest 40% below NH
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Highest 56% below NH	$2,898Lowest 57% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.2%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above NH	25 minLowest 6% below NH
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	6.8%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%
	Dummer and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.