What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

Berlin has the most affordable homes ($131k median).

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	Berlin
People
Population	15,249Highest	9,383Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	44.6±2.8Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Berlin 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%	20.1%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Berlin 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%	14.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.	$45,180±$5kLowest 44% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.	$131,000±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$815±$141Lowest 42% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$3,437Lowest 10% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±12Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Berlin 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%	15.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	62.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 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%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	3.5%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#108 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Berlin School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Berlin Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	8.2Lowest
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.