What stands out worked out from the figures below

Altona has the most affordable homes ($151k median).

Bennington has the most people working from home (10.5%).

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	Altona	Bennington
People
Population	2,490Lowest	3,220Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	40±5Lowest about the NY average	46.7±5.8Highest 17% above NY
	Bennington and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±4.7Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.5%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Bennington and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±5Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.4%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Bennington and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	6.1%Lowest NY: 40.2%	26%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.2%±0.7Lowest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.7Highest NY: 7%
	Bennington and Altona are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,367±$3kLowest 40% below NY	$89,050±$10kHighest 4% above NY
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$151,400±$26kLowest 64% below NY	$244,400±$24kHighest 42% below NY
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$997±$182Highest 38% below NY	$942±$344Lowest 42% below NY
	Altona and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,687Lowest 74% below NY	$4,591Highest 30% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.5%±68.6Highest NY: 52.1%	27.4%±29Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Altona and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.2%Highest NY: 14%	8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%	90.7%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 21 yrs newer than NY	1969Lowest 10 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	2.3%±2.1Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.5%±4.9Highest NY: 14.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.