What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most expensive homes ($230k median).

Hardwick has the highest household income ($92k).

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	Benson	Hardwick
People
Population	271Lowest	2,965Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.7±7.7Highest 30% above U.S.	47.1±7.4Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Benson and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.3%±2.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	27%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Benson and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.1%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,375±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Hardwick and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$230,100±$15kHighest 31% below U.S.	$184,700±$39kLowest 44% below U.S.
	Benson and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$875±$406 38% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,528Lowest 19% below U.S.	$4,351Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.6%±41.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hardwick and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	76.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	9.6%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hardwick and Benson 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	—	#68 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26
High school in town	—	Hazen Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.6
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.