What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Essex Junction has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.2%).

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	Essex Junction
People
Population	15,249Highest	10,803Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+14.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT	39.3±3.1Lowest 9% below VT
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.6%±3.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Essex Junction 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%	14.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	52.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	6.7%±2.2Highest VT: 7%
	Essex Junction and Bennington 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	$89,257±$16kHighest 10% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT	$407,500±$20kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT	$1,544±$135Highest 25% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT	$6,797Highest 35% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	61.3%±14.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Essex Junction 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%	9.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	59.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	19 minHighest 18% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Essex Junction 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	#14 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Essex High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.7Lowest
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.