What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

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

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	Dummer	Benton
People
Population	299Lowest	386Highest
Median age	53.6±6.4Lowest 24% above NH	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest NH: 18.2%	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	21.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	37.3%±12.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.9%Lowest NH: 40.6%	18.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest NH: 6%	1.8%±1.4Highest NH: 6%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$21kHighest 8% below NH	$67,895±$4kLowest 31% below NH
	Dummer and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,200±$51kLowest 40% below NH	$288,300±$46kHighest 28% below NH
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Lowest 57% below NH	$2,922Highest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest NH: 7.2%	15.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below NH	32 minHighest 20% above NH
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Highest NH: 16.8%	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Dummer 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.