Compare towns
Brookfield vs Windham vs Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brookfield has the most people working from home (27.3%).
Windham has the most expensive homes ($354k median).
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 | Brookfield | Windham | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,486 |
594Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.7%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
— | -2.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 47±5.9Highest 9% above VT |
44.2±7.4Lowest about the VT average |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
| Brookfield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.5%±7.9Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| Brookfield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.7%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4% |
23.2%±8.1Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
| Brookfield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 45.3% VT: 43.8% |
48.1%Highest VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.2%±2.4 VT: 7% |
0.8%±1.1Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $98,500±$23kHighest 21% above VT |
$94,500±$12k 16% above VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
| Brookfield and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $339,300±$15k 7% above VT |
$353,900±$20kHighest 12% above VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
| Windham and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $975±$306Lowest 21% below VT |
— | $1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Bennington and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,560 10% below VT |
$5,951Highest 18% above VT |
$4,513Lowest 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 30.4%±27.8Lowest VT: 48.4% |
41.2%±94 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 6.3%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
9.9% VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 87.9%Highest VT: 73.2% |
82.9% VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975 1 yr older than VT |
1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT |
1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 37 minHighest 55% above VT |
27 min 14% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 27.3%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
20.5%±5.6 VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Brookfield and Windham 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 | — | — | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59 | — | 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.