What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mason has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Mason	Bennington
People
Population	1,451Lowest	1,588Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Lowest NH: +4.6%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest about the NH average	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Mason and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.8%±6.3Highest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Mason and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.6%±2.1Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
	Mason and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.5%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Highest NH: 6%
	Bennington and Mason are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,090±$3kHighest 12% above NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,000±$21kHighest 5% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,530±$852Highest 70% above NH	$1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,049Highest 6% above NH	$5,944Lowest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	87.2%±42.4Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Mason and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%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	41 minHighest 53% above NH	37 minLowest 38% above NH
Work from home	20.7%±4.5Highest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Lowest NH: 16.8%
	Mason and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mason 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.