What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lyme has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Lyme
People
Population	386Lowest	1,710Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH	48.6±7.8Lowest 12% above NH
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	19.5%±3.4Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Highest NH: 20.1%	26.5%±2.8Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Benton and Lyme 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%	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%
	Lyme and Benton 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	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,300±$46kLowest 28% below NH	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,418±$130 5% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Lowest 56% below NH	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	52.8%±29.8Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Lyme 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%	4.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Highest NH: 72.8%	80.5%Lowest 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	21 minLowest 22% below NH
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	—	Lyme School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.