What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montpelier has the most people working from home (26.9%).

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	Montpelier
People
Population	1,588Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±7.8Lowest 8% above U.S.	42.3±2.4Highest 9% above U.S.
	Montpelier and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	17.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montpelier and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,875±$7kHighest 4% above U.S.	$81,030±$6kLowest about the U.S. average
	Bennington and Montpelier 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.	$375,100±$21kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$150Lowest 9% below U.S.	$1,302±$113Highest 8% below U.S.
	Montpelier and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,944Lowest 91% above U.S.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±20.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.4%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Montpelier and Bennington 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%	6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	53.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.	18 minLowest 31% below U.S.
Work from home	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	26.9%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	None in town	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
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.