What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Panton has the most expensive homes ($438k median).

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	Panton
People
Population	784Highest	690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-4.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT	42.7±3.8Lowest about the VT average
	Benson and Panton 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%	24.9%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Panton 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%	16.7%±2.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	35.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Benson and Panton 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	$86,667±$10kHighest 7% above VT
	Panton 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	$438,000±$40kHighest 38% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$170Lowest 10% below VT	$1,410±$130Highest 14% above VT
	Panton 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	$6,695Highest 33% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±35.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	61%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Panton 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%	3.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 35% above VT	26 minLowest 11% above VT
Work from home	18.6%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.7%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Panton 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 History	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.