Compare towns
Barre vs Bennington vs Newfields vs Williston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Newfields has the highest household income ($198k).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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 | Barre | Bennington | Newfields | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,412 |
15,249Highest |
2,023Lowest |
10,144 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3 15% above U.S. |
44.1±1.8 13% above U.S. |
45.4±4.5Highest 17% above U.S. |
| Williston and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
18.9%±1.6 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Williston and Newfields are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
13.6%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
68.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
7.5%±7.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Newfields and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $65,625±$7k 19% below U.S. |
$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$197,885±$15kHighest 145% above U.S. |
$106,967±$12k 32% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$213,300±$15k 36% below U.S. |
$646,400±$34kHighest 94% above U.S. |
$475,800±$40k 43% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,133±$63 20% below U.S. |
$1,875±$323Highest 33% above U.S. |
$1,832±$130 30% above U.S. |
| Newfields and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192 66% above U.S. |
$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
$5,592 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
43.3%±40.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
13.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
2.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
95.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1991 11 yrs newer than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 30% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
20 min 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
25.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Newfields and Williston 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 | #19 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT | — | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Newfields School District | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
14.7Highest |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 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.