What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	15,249Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Bennington and Windham 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%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Windham 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.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Windham 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%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham and Bennington 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Windham School District
High school in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.8Lowest
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.