What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bethlehem has the most people working from home (31.2%).

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	Bethlehem
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,537Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	50.6±8.5Highest 30% above U.S.
	Bethlehem and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22%	17.7%±5.4 U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.2%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bethlehem and Bennington 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%	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.9%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$85,029±$18kHighest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$288,300±$22kHighest 13% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,174±$81Highest 17% below U.S.
	Bethlehem and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,418Highest 74% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.3%±18.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Bethlehem 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%	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	20 minHighest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	31.2%±12.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bethlehem and Bennington 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	#58 of 70 in VT	#34 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Bethlehem School District · Profile School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Profile Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	8.9Lowest
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.