What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.3%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k 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	Alton	Bennington
People
Population	5,994Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±3.2Highest 38% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.4%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,715±$19kHighest 41% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$430,400±$37kHighest 29% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,133±$63 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,183Lowest 34% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.7%±27.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Alton 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	#72 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Prospect Mountain High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	14.7Highest
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.