What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bennington	Rochester
People
Population	15,249Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	43±1.8Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Bennington and Rochester 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%	18.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rochester 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%	19.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Rochester 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.	$80,836±$3kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$279,100±$10kHighest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,369±$72Highest 3% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,334Highest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	66%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Rochester 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	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Rochester School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.