What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Oneida has the most affordable homes ($160k 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	Oneida
People
Population	15,249Highest	10,171Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	47±2.4Highest 21% above U.S.
	Oneida and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oneida and Bennington 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%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Oneida 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%	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Oneida 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.	$61,597±$6kHighest 24% below U.S.
	Oneida 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.	$160,100±$9kLowest 52% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$903±$77Lowest 36% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$3,778Lowest 21% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.2%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	61.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	19 minHighest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#106 of 484 in NY
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	ONEIDA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.