What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most kids (16.5% under 18).

Athens has the most renters (26.3% rent).

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	Athens
People
Population	784Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.9%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7%
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,625±$8kHighest 3% below VT	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,000±$26kHighest 24% below VT	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$170Lowest 10% below VT	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT
	Athens and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,125Lowest 18% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±35.2Highest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Benson and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 35% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	18.6%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.