What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.1%).

Barre has the highest household income ($66k).

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	Bennington	Barre
People
Population	9,245Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.5±3Highest 3% above VT	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±3Highest VT: 17.9%	13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,257±$12kLowest 33% below VT	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT
	Barre and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,700±$28kLowest 39% below VT	$210,400±$15kHighest 34% below VT
	Barre and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,115±$57Highest 10% below VT	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,331Lowest 14% below VT	$5,192Highest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70.4%±17.4Highest VT: 48.4%	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	11.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Highest 22 yrs older than VT	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	19 minHighest 21% below VT
Work from home	12.6%±5.8Highest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Barre 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	#58 of 70 in VT	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	—	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.