What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brighton has the most renters (48.9% rent).

Benson has the highest household income ($79k).

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	Brighton	Benson
People
Population	1,167Highest	784Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-7.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.2±11.6Lowest 5% above VT	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT
	Benson and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.7Highest VT: 17.9%	16.5%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brighton and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%	26.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brighton and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	32.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%
	Benson and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,375±$21kLowest 42% below VT	$78,625±$8kHighest 3% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,900±$39kLowest 48% below VT	$242,000±$26kHighest 24% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$33Lowest 37% below VT	$1,113±$170Highest 10% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,360Lowest 33% below VT	$4,125Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55%±17Highest VT: 48.4%	53.4%±35.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brighton and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 41% above VT	32 minLowest 35% above VT
Work from home	12.4%±8.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.6%±5.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Benson and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Brighton School District	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	None 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.