What stands out worked out from the figures below

Effingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.4%).

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	Effingham	Bennington
People
Population	1,912Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	46.9±12.4Highest 8% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Effingham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±4.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±2.5Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Effingham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±0.8Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,607±$14kLowest 23% below NH	$83,875±$7kHighest 15% below NH
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$322,700±$30kHighest 20% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,090±$121Lowest 27% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 23% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	13.6%±40.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Effingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.2%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	32 minLowest 18% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	16.1%±4.2Highest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Effingham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Governor Wentworth 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.