What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.7%).

Rockland has the most people working from home (22.1%).

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	Rockland
People
Population	15,249Highest	7,035Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	49.3±6Highest 27% above U.S.
	Rockland 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 U.S.: 22%	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.4%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rockland 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 U.S.: 35.7%	35.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Rockland 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 26% below U.S.	$56,533±$6kLowest 30% below U.S.
	Bennington and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$245,800±$38kHighest 26% below U.S.
	Rockland and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,092±$105Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Bennington and Rockland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$4,059Lowest 30% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.6%±15.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Rockland 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%	10.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	62%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1948Lowest 32 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 35% below U.S.	12 minLowest 53% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.1%±7.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Rockland 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	#96 of 133 in ME
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Rockland-Region 8 · RSU 13
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Oceanside High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.7Lowest
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.