What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k 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	Washburn
People
Population	15,249Highest	1,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.	48.2±7.7Highest 24% above U.S.
	Washburn and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Washburn 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%	24%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Washburn 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%	26%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Washburn 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.	$56,196±$6kLowest 30% below U.S.
	Bennington and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.	$112,900±$14kLowest 66% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.	$482±$62Lowest 66% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.	$1,571Lowest 50% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.3%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Washburn 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%	12.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	21 minHighest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Washburn 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	—
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	RSU 45/MSAD 45
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Washburn District High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.0Lowest
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.