What stands out worked out from the figures below

Augusta has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.2%).

Bennington has the highest household income ($59k).

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	Augusta	Bennington
People
Population	19,077Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.5±2.4Lowest 9% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Augusta and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,979±$3kLowest 41% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$201,000±$18kLowest 40% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$919±$79Lowest 35% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,465Lowest 21% below U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 29% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#119 of 133 in ME	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Cony	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	17.9Highest	14.7Lowest
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.