What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hinsdale has the most homeowners (80.2%).

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	Hinsdale
People
Population	15,249Highest	3,997Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	53.3±10.6Highest 37% above U.S.
	Hinsdale and Bennington 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%	15%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Hinsdale 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%	28.6%±9.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hinsdale 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%	12.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.5%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.	$69,191±$5kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Hinsdale 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.	$200,700±$19kLowest 40% below U.S.
	Bennington and Hinsdale 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.	$1,050±$409Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Bennington and Hinsdale 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.	$4,899Highest 57% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	63.8%±22.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Hinsdale 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%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Hinsdale 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	#110 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Hinsdale School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Hinsdale High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	7.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.