What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harmony has the most homeowners (84.6%).

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	Harmony
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,344Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Harmony 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 U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.
	Bennington and Harmony 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.	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Harmony 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%	9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Harmony 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	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	8.5Lowest
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.