What stands out worked out from the figures below

Henniker has grown the fastest since 2010 (+27.9%).

Bennington has the most kids (26% under 18).

Henniker is a college town. 27% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Henniker	Bennington
People
Population	6,197Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+27.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	31.1±6.1Lowest 28% below NH	42.1±7.8Highest about the NH average
	Bennington and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±3.7Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	16.5%±6Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Henniker and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.4%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	27%±6.5Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,206±$21kHighest 4% below NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Henniker and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,700±$49kHighest 11% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,081±$164Lowest 27% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Henniker are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,877Highest 33% above NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±22.6Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Henniker and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 5 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 24% below NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	15.5%±5.6Highest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Henniker and Bennington 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	#56 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Henniker 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.