What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Newport has the most affordable homes ($179k median).

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	Newport
People
Population	15,249Highest	4,394Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT	46.4±4.3Highest 8% above VT
	Newport 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 VT: 17.9%	13.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.8%±4.7Highest VT: 21.4%
	Newport 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 VT: 43.8%	25.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Newport 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 27% below VT	$54,646±$12kLowest 33% below VT
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 10% below VT	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	48.2%±15.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	23%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 27% below VT	15 minLowest 38% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.8%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Newport 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	#63 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	North Country Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.7Lowest
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.