What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

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	Colchester
People
Population	15,249Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Bennington 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%	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	40.8%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT	$5,471Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	46.2%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	20 minHighest 15% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Colchester 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	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Colchester School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.