What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

Bennington has the most kids (26% under 18).

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	Standish	Bennington
People
Population	10,662Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	42.1±7.8Highest 8% above U.S.
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3 U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±1.7 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kHighest 30% above U.S.	$83,875±$7kLowest 4% above U.S.
	Standish and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kHighest about the U.S. average	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	—
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.