What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bath	Bennington
People
Population	8,815Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Bath and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.1 U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kHighest 14% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Bath and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kHighest 7% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
	Bennington and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath 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	#31 of 133 in ME	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Morse High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	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.