Compare towns
Bennington vs Mount Desert vs Wayne
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 most affordable homes ($213k median).
Mount Desert has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).
Wayne has the most people working from home (26.2%).
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 | Mount Desert | Wayne |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
1,671 |
1,101Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S. |
54.9±8.2 41% above U.S. |
55.6±5.3Highest 43% above U.S. |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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% |
14.1%±4.7 U.S.: 22% |
13.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Bennington and Mount Desert 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% |
29.1%±4.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
29.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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% |
64.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.8% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Wayne 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. |
$92,813±$9k 15% above U.S. |
$93,194±$26kHighest 15% above U.S. |
| Wayne and Mount Desert are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S. |
$522,100±$66kHighest 57% above U.S. |
$362,800±$29k 9% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63 20% below U.S. |
$1,341±$89Highest 5% below U.S. |
$983±$554Lowest 30% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,513Highest 45% above U.S. |
$3,512 13% above U.S. |
$3,289Lowest 5% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
33.9%±31.5 U.S.: 51.1% |
25%±52.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Mount Desert 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% |
7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
84.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
89.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1969 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1980Highest same as U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
18 min 32% below U.S. |
30 minHighest 15% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.1%±9.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
26.2%±11.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Wayne and Mount Desert 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 | Mount Desert Public Schools | RSU 38 |
| High school in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.