What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most expensive homes ($337k median).

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% under 18).

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	Bristol	Bennington
People
Population	3,778Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.9±4.8Highest 11% above VT	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Bristol and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±3.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±4.8Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,620±$8kHighest 8% below VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
	Bristol and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$337,300±$46kHighest 7% above VT	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$181Highest 3% above VT	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT
	Bristol and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,978Highest 19% above VT	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest same as VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	17.9%±6.1Highest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Bristol 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	#31 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Mt. Abraham Union High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Lowest	14.7Highest
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.