What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyman has the most kids (12.3% 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	Lyman
People
Population	386Lowest	464Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.8% NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH	60.8±6.5Lowest 40% above NH
	Benton and Lyman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	12.3%±6.7Highest NH: 18.2%
	Lyman and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Lowest NH: 20.1%	38.6%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%
	Lyman and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.2%Lowest NH: 40.6%	27.8%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%	1.5%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%
	Benton and Lyman 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	$71,042±$17kHighest 28% below NH
	Lyman 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±$46kLowest 28% below NH	$311,100±$66kHighest 23% below NH
	Lyman and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,147±$81 23% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Lowest 56% below NH	$3,981Highest 40% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	58.3%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Lyman 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%	14.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	89.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1985Highest 6 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above NH	24 minLowest 10% below NH
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	3.7%±3.6Highest NH: 16.8%
	Lyman 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.