What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gorham has the most affordable homes ($162k 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.

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

Measure	Bennington	Gorham
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gorham and Bennington 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%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham 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 26% below U.S.	$61,275±$7kHighest 24% below U.S.
	Gorham 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.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.