Compare towns
Orange vs Bennington vs Sharon
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against New Hampshire.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Orange has the most people working from home (20.8%).
Bennington has the most renters (25.7% rent).
Sharon has the most expensive homes ($476k 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.
| Measure | Orange | Bennington | Sharon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 320Lowest |
1,588Highest |
442 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | +1.7% NH: +4.6% |
— |
| Median age | 41.3±9.1Lowest 5% below NH |
42.1±7.8 about the NH average |
49.4±11.2Highest 14% above NH |
| Sharon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.6%±5.6Lowest NH: 18.2% |
26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2% |
22.4%±8.6 NH: 18.2% |
| Bennington and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20%±5 NH: 20.1% |
15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1% |
31.4%±6.8Highest NH: 20.1% |
| Sharon and Orange are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 37.2% NH: 40.6% |
33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6% |
41.2%Highest NH: 40.6% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±3.7Highest NH: 6% |
2.8%±1.3 NH: 6% |
1.6%±3Lowest NH: 6% |
| Orange and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $118,750±$39kHighest 20% above NH |
$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH |
$113,125±$19k 14% above NH |
| Orange and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $302,600±$35k 25% below NH |
$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH |
$475,900±$38kHighest 18% above NH |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,292±$150Lowest 13% below NH |
$1,458±$1kHighest about the NH average |
| Sharon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,132Lowest 23% below NH |
$5,944 11% below NH |
$8,274Highest 24% above NH |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest NH: 48.2% |
37.2%±20.6Highest NH: 48.2% |
28.6%±100 NH: 48.2% |
| Bennington and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.4%Highest NH: 7.2% |
4%Lowest NH: 7.2% |
6.2% NH: 7.2% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 97.5%Highest NH: 72.8% |
74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8% |
93.1% NH: 72.8% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986Highest 7 yrs newer than NH |
1978Lowest 1 yr older than NH |
1979 same as NH |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minLowest 5% above NH |
37 minHighest 38% above NH |
32 min 20% above NH |
| Work from home | 20.8%±8.9Highest NH: 16.8% |
14.7%±4.8 NH: 16.8% |
11.2%±4.5Lowest NH: 16.8% |
| Orange and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Schools | |||
| School district | — | Contoocook Valley School District | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.