Compare towns
Bennington vs Bradford vs Fairfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
Bradford has the highest household income ($108k).
Fairfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).
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.
| Measure | Bennington | Bradford | Fairfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
2,827 |
1,938Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-0.3% VT: +2.8% |
+8.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
42.7±3.1 about the VT average |
42.3±2.7Lowest about the VT average |
| Bennington and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
20.1%±5.7 VT: 17.9% |
25.4%±5Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Fairfield and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
22.9%±5.8 VT: 21.4% |
14.3%±1.8Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and Bradford 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 VT: 43.8% |
36.2% VT: 43.8% |
30.2%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
0.7%±1Lowest VT: 7% |
3.5%±1.6 VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Fairfield 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 27% below VT |
$108,162±$15kHighest 33% above VT |
$87,019±$22k 7% above VT |
| Bradford and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
$258,600±$30k 18% below VT |
$320,600±$22kHighest about the VT average |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,221±$808Highest about the VT average |
$1,056±$441Lowest 14% below VT |
| Bradford and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,513 10% below VT |
$4,472Lowest 11% below VT |
$4,816Highest 4% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
27.9%±23.4Lowest VT: 48.4% |
29.2%±20.4 VT: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
2.8%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
5.1% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
87.1% VT: 73.2% |
88.5%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT |
1976 same as VT |
1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 27% below VT |
25 minHighest 4% above VT |
24 min about the VT average |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
7.7%±5.8Lowest VT: 16.9% |
7.8%±3 VT: 16.9% |
| Bennington and Fairfield 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 | #45 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Oxbow Unified Union School District #91 | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 |
| High school in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Oxbow Union High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7Highest |
9.5Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
VT 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.