What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury
People
Population	9,245Highest	9,175Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.5±3Highest 3% above VT	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT
Kids under 18	15.8%±3Highest VT: 17.9%	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Middlebury 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%	20.7%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Middlebury 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%	55.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,257±$12kLowest 33% below VT	$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,700±$28kLowest 39% below VT	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,115±$57Lowest 10% below VT	$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT
	Middlebury and Bennington 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	$6,868Highest 36% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70.4%±17.4Highest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	65.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 22 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 27% below VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	12.6%±5.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Middlebury 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	#58 of 70 in VT	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	—	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.6
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.