What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Arlington	Bennington
People
Population	2,598Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Arlington and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 26% above VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT
	Arlington and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 10% below VT	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Arlington and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 13% below VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.