What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hooksett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+27.4%).

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	Hooksett	Bennington
People
Population	5,876Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+27.4%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.6±2Highest about the NH average	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Hooksett and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±3.6Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.9Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Hooksett 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	6.2%±3.7Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Hooksett and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,053±$25kHighest about the NH average	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Hooksett and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$348,100±$32kHighest 14% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,811±$283Highest 21% above NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,960Lowest 26% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46%±20.2Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Hooksett and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4% NH: 7.2%	4% NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	72.5%Lowest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Highest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 8 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Hooksett 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	#30 of 120 in NH	—
School district	—	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.