Compare towns
Barnet vs Bennington vs Springfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barnet has the most homeowners (79.9%).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k 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 | Barnet | Bennington | Springfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,855Lowest |
15,249Highest |
9,084 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.6%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 47.7±5.3Highest 11% above VT |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average |
| Barnet and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.6%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
18.6%±3.4 VT: 17.9% |
| Barnet and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 28.8%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Barnet and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.6% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1%±0.9Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
2.3%±1.4 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,386±$15kHighest 17% below VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
$66,571±$13k 18% below VT |
| Barnet and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $247,900±$24kHighest 22% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT |
| Barnet and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $974±$72 21% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,489Lowest 11% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
$4,807Highest 5% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 59.3%±29.9 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
14.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 79.9%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
67.7% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 17% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
27 min 16% above VT |
| Work from home | 13.3%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #58 of 70 in VT | #64 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District |
| High school in town | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Springfield High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7Highest |
14.3Lowest |
| 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.