What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Portsmouth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).

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	Portsmouth
People
Population	15,249Lowest	22,545Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	42.9±2Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Bennington and Portsmouth 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%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Portsmouth 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%	21.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Portsmouth 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Portsmouth 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.	$106,219±$7kHighest 32% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$688,500±$39kHighest 107% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,869±$111Highest 32% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$8,018Highest 157% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.4%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Portsmouth 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%	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	51.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Portsmouth 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	#11 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Portsmouth School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Portsmouth 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.