Compare towns
Bennington vs Busti vs Harmony
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
Busti has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).
Harmony has the most affordable homes ($128k 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.
| Measure | Bennington | Busti | Harmony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
7,452 |
2,344Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3 15% above U.S. |
46.6±4.8Highest 20% above U.S. |
41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S. |
| Busti 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% |
19.9%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Harmony and Busti 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% |
23.8%±3.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Busti 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% |
29.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $59,446±$7k 26% below U.S. |
$67,292±$9kHighest 17% below U.S. |
$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S. |
| Busti and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S. |
$164,600±$12k 51% below U.S. |
$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S. |
$1,085±$106 23% below U.S. |
$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S. |
| Bennington and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,513Highest 45% above U.S. |
$3,876 24% above U.S. |
$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
55.5%±13.2 U.S.: 51.1% |
43%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 13.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1963 17 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
21 min 20% below U.S. |
26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.5%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Bennington and Busti 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 | — | — |
| School district | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | — | PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | — | PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7Highest |
— | 8.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.