What stands out worked out from the figures below

Benson has the most affordable homes ($242k median).

Cornwall has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

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	Cornwall
People
Population	784Lowest	1,208Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT	50.4±4.6Lowest 17% above VT
	Benson and Cornwall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.7%±3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Cornwall and Benson 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%	25.7%±6.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Benson and Cornwall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%	3.7%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Benson and Cornwall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,625±$8kLowest 3% below VT	$114,583±$32kHighest 41% above VT
	Cornwall and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,000±$26kLowest 24% below VT	$458,000±$49kHighest 45% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$170Lowest 10% below VT	$1,125±$206Highest 9% below VT
	Cornwall 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	$6,726Highest 33% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±35.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	61.9%±65.5Highest VT: 48.4%
	Cornwall and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	0.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	94.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 35% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	18.6%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.4%±6.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Cornwall 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	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None 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.