Compare towns
Brattleboro vs Wardsboro 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 grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.8%).
Wardsboro has the most homeowners (90.4%).
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
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 | Wardsboro | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,657 |
820Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.8%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-3.4%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 44.3±5.9Lowest about the VT average |
51.6±7.3Highest 20% above VT |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
| Wardsboro and Bennington 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% |
18.8%±6.5 VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| Brattleboro and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.8%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4% |
27.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
| Wardsboro and Bennington 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% |
38.9% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.3%±2.4 VT: 7% |
0.9%±0.9Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Brattleboro 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 |
$62,000±$6kHighest 24% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
| Wardsboro and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $234,600±$20k 26% below VT |
$299,300±$47kHighest 5% below VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
| Wardsboro and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,113±$67Lowest 10% below VT |
$1,479±$224Highest 20% above VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,490Highest 9% above VT |
$4,345Lowest 14% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.1%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4% |
54.5%±58 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Wardsboro 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% |
7.7%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.7%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
90.4%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1978Highest 2 yrs newer than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 15 minLowest 35% below VT |
27 minHighest 14% above VT |
17 min 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 11.8%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
13.3%±5.1 VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Bennington and Wardsboro 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 | — | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | — | River Valleys Unified School District #73 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 14.7 |
| 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.