What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

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	Townsend
People
Population	15,249Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Bennington and Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Townsend 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.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend 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.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Townsend 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%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	North Middlesex
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.1Lowest
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.