What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orford has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Orford	Bennington
People
Population	1,295Lowest	1,588Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+1.7%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	48.9±3.3Highest 13% above NH	42.1±7.8Lowest about the NH average
	Orford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±3.1Lowest NH: 18.2%	26%±5.2Highest NH: 18.2%
Age 65+	25.5%±4.2Highest NH: 20.1%	15.2%±1.7Lowest NH: 20.1%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44%Highest NH: 40.6%	33.6%Lowest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.1Highest NH: 6%	2.8%±1.3Lowest NH: 6%
	Orford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,571±$24kHighest 7% below NH	$83,875±$7kLowest 15% below NH
	Orford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,900±$25kHighest 32% below NH	$267,300±$15kLowest 34% below NH
	Orford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,263±$686Lowest 15% below NH	$1,292±$150Highest 13% below NH
	Bennington and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Lowest 12% below NH	$5,944Highest 11% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±10.7Highest NH: 48.2%	37.2%±20.6Lowest NH: 48.2%
	Orford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest NH: 7.2%	4%Lowest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	74.3%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 8 yrs older than NH	1978Highest 1 yr older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 4% below NH	37 minHighest 38% above NH
Work from home	10.8%±4.7Lowest NH: 16.8%	14.7%±4.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Bennington and Orford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Rivendell Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.