Compare towns
Brattleboro vs Royalton vs Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brattleboro has the most renters (49.3% rent).
Royalton has the highest household income ($104k).
Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k 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.
| Measure | Brattleboro | Royalton | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,657 |
2,752Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.8%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-0.8%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 44.3±5.9 about the VT average |
43.9±10.1Lowest about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
| Bennington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9% |
14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.8%±4.2 VT: 21.4% |
22.1%±6.4Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 47.2%Highest VT: 43.8% |
42.6% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7% |
8%±4.2Highest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6 VT: 7% |
| Royalton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $52,734±$12kLowest 35% below VT |
$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $234,600±$20k 26% below VT |
$263,200±$73kHighest 17% below VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
| Royalton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,113±$67 10% below VT |
$1,040±$391Lowest 16% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Bennington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,490Highest 9% above VT |
$4,675 7% below VT |
$4,513Lowest 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.1%±9.5 VT: 48.4% |
36.7%±16.1Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 21.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.7%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
63.5%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1965Highest 11 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 15 minLowest 35% below VT |
20 minHighest 13% below VT |
17 min 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 11.8%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
17.8%±7.3Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
| Royalton and Bennington 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 | #33 of 70 in VT | #48 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | — | White River Unified School District #79 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | — | White River Valley High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 8.7Lowest |
14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.