What stands out worked out from the figures below

Conway has the most expensive homes ($314k median).

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% 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	Conway	Bennington
People
Population	10,141Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55±4.1Highest 41% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	35.1%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,385±$8kHighest 20% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Conway and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$314,000±$43kHighest 6% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,095±$141Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
	Bennington and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,087Lowest 31% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.3%±13.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	13.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Conway School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Kennett High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.