What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).

Lebanon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.6%).

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	Lebanon
People
Population	15,249Highest	14,999Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	38.9±3.1Lowest about the U.S. average
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Lebanon 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%	21.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Lebanon 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%	57.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lebanon 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.	$98,147±$10kHighest 22% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$385,400±$29kHighest 16% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,744±$132Highest 23% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$8,149Highest 161% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	51.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 35% below U.S.	14 minLowest 47% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lebanon 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	#29 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Lebanon School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Lebanon High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.7Lowest
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.