What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyme has the most expensive homes ($645k median).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k 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	Lyme	Bennington
People
Population	1,710Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7% NH: +4.6%	+1.7% NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.6±7.8Highest 12% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Lyme and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Lyme are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±2.8Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.1%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.9Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Lyme and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$133,906±$15kHighest 35% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$645,000±$64kHighest 60% above NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,418±$130Highest 5% below NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
	Lyme and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 50% above NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±29.8Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Lyme 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	80.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 2 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	27.2%±5.4Highest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Lyme 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.