What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

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	Bedford
People
Population	15,249Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.
	Bedford and Bennington 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%	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	63%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	59.4%±15.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Bedford School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.5Lowest
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.