What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harrisville has the most expensive homes ($431k 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	Harrisville	Bennington
People
Population	885Lowest	1,588Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	58.9±5.5Highest 36% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
Kids under 18	16.4%±6.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Harrisville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.8%±10.5Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.8%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±1.2Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Harrisville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,036±$13kHighest 4% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Harrisville and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,500±$48kHighest 7% above NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,611±$367Highest 8% above NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
	Harrisville and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,329Lowest 20% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±90.4Lowest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Harrisville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest NH: 7.2%	4%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 14 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the NH average	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	13.4%±5.8Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Harrisville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Harrisville 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.