What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canterbury has the most expensive homes ($444k median).

Bennington has the most kids (26% 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	Canterbury	Bennington
People
Population	2,353Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±3.8Highest 12% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Canterbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±4.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Canterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±3.3Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.3%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±3Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Canterbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,333±$37kHighest 31% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$443,700±$21kHighest 10% above NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,136±$233Highest 43% above NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,421Highest 11% above NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.7%±48.3Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Canterbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 3 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 22% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	21.6%±7.4Highest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Canterbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Shaker Regional School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.