What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most kids (26% under 18).

Hartland has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	Hartland
People
Population	1,588Lowest	3,460Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	55.8±5.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,875±$7kLowest 4% above U.S.	$86,136±$23kHighest 7% above U.S.
	Hartland and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.	$348,600±$39kHighest 5% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150 9% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Lowest 91% above U.S.	$6,437Highest 106% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.1%±89.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Hartland 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	—	#29 of 70 in VT
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Hartland School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.