What stands out worked out from the figures below

Keene has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% 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	Keene	Bennington
People
Population	22,939Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,445±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$252,500±$12kHighest 24% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,812Highest 118% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961 19 yrs older than U.S.	1961 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 35% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	15.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Keene 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	#81 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Keene School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Keene High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.