What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Barton	Bennington
People
Population	2,815Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.9±6.5Highest 4% above VT	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Barton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,250±$16kHighest 18% below VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
	Barton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$201,200±$28kLowest 36% below VT	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT
	Bennington and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$793±$70Lowest 36% below VT	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,355Lowest 33% below VT	$4,513Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	10.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.9%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	35 minHighest 50% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	13.4%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Barton 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	#38 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Lake Region Union High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.