What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the highest household income ($59k).

Augusta has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.2%).

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	Augusta
People
Population	15,249Lowest	19,077Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	42.5±2.4Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Augusta and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.	$47,979±$3kLowest 41% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.	$201,000±$18kLowest 40% below U.S.
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$919±$79Lowest 35% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$2,465Lowest 21% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.2%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	53.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	19 minHighest 29% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#119 of 133 in ME
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Cony
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Lowest	17.9Highest
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.