Compare towns
Bennington vs Richmond vs Waterbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).
Richmond has the most homeowners (78.8%).
Waterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).
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 | Richmond | Waterbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,249Highest |
4,159Lowest |
5,405 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+2.1% VT: +2.8% |
+5.3%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
43.7±5.6 about the VT average |
43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average |
| Bennington and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
21.5%±5 VT: 17.9% |
21.9%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Waterbury and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
19.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4% |
19.8%±4.4 VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and Waterbury 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% |
59.1%Highest VT: 43.8% |
54.2% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
2.8%±1.7Lowest VT: 7% |
3.4%±2.8 VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Waterbury 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 27% below VT |
$108,235±$24kHighest 33% above VT |
$103,917±$23k 28% above VT |
| Richmond and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
$432,200±$39k 37% above VT |
$447,200±$40kHighest 41% above VT |
| Waterbury and Richmond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
— | $1,027±$535Lowest 17% below VT |
| Bennington and Waterbury 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 |
$6,435 28% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
28.5%±15.8Lowest VT: 48.4% |
46.8%±21.7 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Waterbury 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% |
4.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
7.9% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
78.8%Highest VT: 73.2% |
70.6% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT |
1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT |
1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 27% below VT |
25 min 6% above VT |
30 minHighest 28% above VT |
| Work from home | 15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9% |
22.5%±6.1 VT: 16.9% |
28.3%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Waterbury and Richmond 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 | #5 of 70 in VT | #20 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401 | Harwood Unified Union School District #60 |
| 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 Our Story | None yet | 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.