What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washington has the most people working from home (14.9%).

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	Washington
People
Population	386Lowest	1,208Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.1% NH: +4.6%
Median age	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH	55±4.7Lowest 27% above NH
Kids under 18	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	13.8%±4.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Washington and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.3%±12.5Highest NH: 20.1%	29%±3Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Benton and Washington 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%	32%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%	4.6%±2.5Highest NH: 6%
	Washington 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	$89,453±$12kHighest 10% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,300±$46kLowest 28% below NH	$358,600±$32kHighest 11% below NH
	Washington and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,106±$160 26% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,922Lowest 56% below NH	$4,321Highest 35% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%	0%±88.9Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Washington 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%	8.7%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%	94.4%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 1 yr newer than NH	1983Highest 4 yrs newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above NH	36 minHighest 33% above NH
Work from home	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.9%±5.3Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	—	Washington 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.