What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

Benson has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

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	Lee	Benson
People
Population	4,576Highest	784Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-7.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.9±1.9Lowest 10% above U.S.	51.9±9.4Highest 33% above U.S.
	Benson and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lee and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Benson and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Benson and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$131,579±$54kHighest 63% above U.S.	$78,625±$8kLowest about the U.S. average
	Lee and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$480,600±$61kHighest 44% above U.S.	$242,000±$26kLowest 27% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,113±$170 21% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,661Highest 210% above U.S.	$4,125Lowest 32% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.3%±53.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.4%±35.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Benson and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	27.6%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	18.6%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lee and Benson 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	#3 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	10 photos →	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.