What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellows Falls has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Bellows Falls	Bennington
People
Population	2,891Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±6.7Lowest 6% above U.S.	42.1±7.8Highest 8% above U.S.
	Bennington and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bellows Falls and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,086±$2kLowest 31% below U.S.	$83,875±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$195,600±$35kLowest 41% below U.S.	$267,300±$15kHighest 20% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,038±$109Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,292±$150Highest 9% below U.S.
	Bennington and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,448Lowest 43% above U.S.	$5,944Highest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bellows Falls and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.