What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

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	Bedford	Bennington
People
Population	23,746Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Bedford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±15.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Bedford School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Bedford High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.