Compare towns
Athens vs Bennington vs Newbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Newbury has the most expensive homes ($276k 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.
| Measure | Athens | Bennington | Newbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 431 |
15,249Highest |
393Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7% VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 47.3±6.5 10% above VT |
44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT |
48.3±14Highest 12% above VT |
| Newbury and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
18.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Newbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
27.5%±9.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Newbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
38.2%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6 VT: 7% |
6.9%±6.5Highest VT: 7% |
| Newbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $68,438±$30k 16% below VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
$76,250±$23kHighest 6% below VT |
| Newbury and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $240,400±$32k 24% below VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
$275,900±$28kHighest 13% below VT |
| Newbury and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,125±$537Lowest 9% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,259±$401Highest about the VT average |
| Newbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,438Highest 8% above VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
$3,943Lowest 22% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
51%±25.3 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Newbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.1% VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
9.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.7%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
67.8% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 36 minHighest 53% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
30 min 29% above VT |
| Work from home | 19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
14.3%±8.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Athens and Bennington 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 | — | #58 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | — |
| High school in town | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.