What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has grown the fastest since 2010 (-4.3%).

Benson has the most people working from home (18.6%).

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	Bethel	Benson
People
Population	1,736Highest	784Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-7.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.7±3.7Lowest 18% above VT	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	26.9%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,822±$7kLowest 7% below VT	$78,625±$8kHighest 3% below VT
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kLowest 25% below VT	$242,000±$26kHighest 24% below VT
	Benson and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220Highest 8% above VT	$1,113±$170Lowest 10% below VT
	Bethel and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Highest about the VT average	$4,125Lowest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest VT: 48.4%	53.4%±35.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bethel and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 19% above VT	32 minHighest 35% above VT
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.6%±5.4Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
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.