What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rutland has the most affordable homes ($186k 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	Rutland
People
Population	15,249Lowest	15,712Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT	49±2.1Highest 14% above VT
	Rutland 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 VT: 17.9%	15.5%±2.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Lowest VT: 21.4%	26.2%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Rutland 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 VT: 43.8%	33.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kHighest 27% below VT	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT
	Bennington and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT	$185,500±$16kLowest 41% below VT
	Bennington and Rutland 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	$995±$65Lowest 19% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT	$4,657Highest 8% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	51.6%±8.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	15.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	54.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 27% below VT	16 minLowest 32% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%	8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Rutland 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	#51 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Rutland City School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Rutland Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.3Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.