What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.7%).

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Westminster
People
Population	15,249Highest	2,999Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-5.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT	53.5±3.7Highest 24% above VT
Kids under 18	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.2%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Westminster and Bennington 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%	27.6%±6.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Westminster 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%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	4.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Westminster 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 27% below VT	$71,491±$4kHighest 12% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT	$273,800±$35kHighest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT	$916±$126Lowest 26% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Highest 10% below VT	$4,063Lowest 19% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%	49.2%±7.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.2%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 27% below VT	24 minHighest about the VT average
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	27%±6.6Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#58 of 70 in VT	#53 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Bellows Falls Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.6Lowest
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.