What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	51.1±3.4Highest 31% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Thornton 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%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Thornton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Thornton 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.	$90,022±$17kHighest 12% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$351,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,270±$428Highest 10% below U.S.
	Thornton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,032Highest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Thornton 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%	9.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Thornton School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7	—
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.