What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% under 18).

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury
People
Population	15,249Highest	9,175Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9%	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%	20.7%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Middlebury 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 VT: 43.8%	55.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT	$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT	$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT
	Middlebury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT	$6,868Highest 36% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	65.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 27% below VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Middlebury 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	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.