Compare towns
Bennington vs Cornish vs Windsor vs Barre
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%).
Cornish has the most homeowners (94.1%).
Windsor has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.5%).
Barre has the youngest population (median age 42.2).
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.
| Measure | Bennington | Cornish | Windsor | Barre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
1,816Lowest |
2,060 |
8,412 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
-1.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3 15% above U.S. |
54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
44.6±12.3 15% above U.S. |
42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S. |
| Cornish 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% |
14.4%±3.2 U.S.: 22% |
21.1%±8.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Windsor and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±2.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
27.3%±4.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
29.2%±8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Windsor and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
40.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
40% U.S.: 35.7% |
36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.4%±0.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
1.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Barre 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. |
$91,821±$2kHighest 14% above U.S. |
$51,197±$4kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$65,625±$7k 19% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15k 36% below U.S. |
$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S. |
$170,300±$22kLowest 49% below U.S. |
$210,400±$15k 37% below U.S. |
| Cornish and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63 20% below U.S. |
$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S. |
$1,002±$107Lowest 29% below U.S. |
$1,093±$58 23% below U.S. |
| Cornish 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. |
$5,796Highest 86% above U.S. |
$4,878 56% above U.S. |
$5,192 66% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40.5%±38.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
31.4%±20Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
34.4%±10.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Cornish 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% |
4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
51.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1980Highest same as U.S. |
1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
24 minHighest 8% below U.S. |
22 min 16% below U.S. |
19 min 30% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
12%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
6.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Bennington and Cornish 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 | — | #61 of 70 in VT | #19 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Cornish School District | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center |
| High school in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | None in town | — | Spaulding Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7Highest |
— | — | 10.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.