What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stark has the most people working from home (13.9%).

Benton has the most expensive homes ($288k 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	Stark	Benton
People
Population	419Highest	386Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-14% NH: +4.6%	—
Median age	58.8±3.6Lowest 36% above NH	62.1±1.9Highest 43% above NH
	Benton and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±6.9Highest NH: 18.2%	6.7%±4.2Lowest NH: 18.2%
	Stark and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±3.6Lowest NH: 20.1%	37.3%±12.5Highest NH: 20.1%
	Benton and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.5%Lowest NH: 40.6%	18.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±4.7Highest NH: 6%	1.8%±1.4Lowest NH: 6%
	Stark and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,750±$23kHighest 28% below NH	$67,895±$4kLowest 31% below NH
	Stark and Benton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$197,700±$34kLowest 51% below NH	$288,300±$46kHighest 28% below NH
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,636Lowest 60% below NH	$2,922Highest 56% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±100Lowest NH: 48.2%	100%±100Highest NH: 48.2%
	Benton and Stark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest NH: 7.2%	15.9%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.5%Highest NH: 72.8%	92.1%Lowest NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 11 yrs older than NH	1980Highest 1 yr newer than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above NH	32 minLowest 20% above NH
Work from home	13.9%±6.7Highest NH: 16.8%	2.6%±3.4Lowest NH: 16.8%
Schools
School district	Stark School District	—
High school 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.