What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

Fair Haven has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.1%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bennington	Fair Haven
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+0.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT	39.2±7.6Lowest 9% below VT
	Bennington and Fair Haven 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%	19.4%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Fair Haven 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%	18.4%±4.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Fair Haven 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%	23.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	4.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Fair Haven 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	$62,404±$16kHighest 23% below VT
	Fair Haven 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 33% below VT	$176,500±$14kLowest 44% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 10% below VT	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±20.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	18.9%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.6%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	31 minHighest 31% above VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.