What stands out worked out from the figures below

Epsom has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

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	Epsom	Bennington
People
Population	4,939Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	47.1±3.4Highest 9% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Epsom and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4.9Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Epsom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.3Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.4Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Epsom and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,941±$13kHighest about the NH average	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Epsom and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$338,400±$19kHighest 16% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,212±$437Lowest 19% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Epsom are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,210Highest 7% below NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.2%±19.7Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Epsom and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 15% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	13.1%±4.3Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Epsom 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	#69 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Epsom 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.