What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

St. George has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17.8%).

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	St. George
People
Population	9,245Highest	812Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+17.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.5±3Lowest 3% above VT	44.7±13.4Highest 4% above VT
	St. George and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±3Lowest VT: 17.9%	25.6%±7Highest VT: 17.9%
	St. George and Bennington 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%	15.9%±2.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	53.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	5.9%±3.9Highest VT: 7%
	St. George and Bennington 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	$109,464±$34kHighest 35% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$191,700±$28kLowest 39% below VT	$376,800±$50kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,115±$57Lowest 10% below VT	$1,394±$132Highest 13% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,331Lowest 14% below VT	$5,514Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	70.4%±17.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	96%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	St. George and Bennington 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%	5.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	91.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 22 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	19 minHighest 19% below VT
Work from home	12.6%±5.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.6%±8.5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	—
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.