What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlow has the highest household income ($110k).

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	Marlow	Bennington
People
Population	855Lowest	1,588Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	52.8±11.7Highest 22% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Marlow and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±6.3Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
	Bennington and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±5.7Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Marlow and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,455±$12kHighest 12% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,400±$49kHighest 19% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
	Marlow and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$160Lowest 23% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,826Lowest 13% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.2%±95.1Lowest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2%
	Bennington and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 2 yrs newer than NH	1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 31% above NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	0.8%±1.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Marlow 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.