Compare towns
Bennington vs Guilford vs Leyden
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 shortest commute (17 min average).
Guilford has the most people working from home (16.7%).
Leyden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).
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 | Guilford | Leyden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
2,461 |
637Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
0% U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S. |
46.7±5.2 20% above U.S. |
53.2±8.2Highest 37% above U.S. |
| Leyden and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22% |
17.5%±4.9 U.S.: 22% |
13.8%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Bennington and Guilford 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% |
27.6%±4 U.S.: 17.2% |
28.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Leyden and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
40% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.6%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.5%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Guilford 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. |
$75,243±$6k 7% below U.S. |
$105,893±$13kHighest 31% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S. |
$312,600±$39k 6% below U.S. |
$372,900±$24kHighest 12% above U.S. |
| Leyden and Guilford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S. |
$1,283±$273 9% below U.S. |
$1,917±$451Highest 36% above U.S. |
| Leyden and Guilford 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. |
$5,827Highest 87% above U.S. |
$4,651 49% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±19.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
42.9%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Guilford 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% |
10.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
10.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
80.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
93.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1980Highest same as U.S. |
1976 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
25 min 5% below U.S. |
33 minHighest 23% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
16.7%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
11%±5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Guilford 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 | — | — |
| School district | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | — |
| High school in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.