What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Springfield has the most homeowners (67.7%).

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	Springfield
People
Population	15,249Highest	9,084Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average
	Bennington and Springfield 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%	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield 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 VT: 21.4%	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Springfield 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%	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT	$66,571±$13kHighest 18% below VT
	Springfield and Bennington 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	$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT
	Bennington and Springfield 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	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT	$4,807Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Springfield 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%	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	67.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	27 minHighest 16% above VT
Work from home	15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9%	15.1%±5.5 VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	14.3Lowest
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.