What stands out worked out from the figures below

Loudon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

Bennington has the most people working from home (14.7%).

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	Loudon	Bennington
People
Population	5,692Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	49.5±3.2Highest 14% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Loudon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.8%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Loudon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.4Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.3%Lowest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Loudon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,966±$16kHighest 8% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,400±$48kHighest 10% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,321±$465Highest 11% below NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
	Loudon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,821Lowest 13% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±30.4Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Loudon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 9 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 14% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	8.9%±4.9Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Loudon 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	#99 of 120 in NH	—
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	None 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.