What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the highest household income ($82k).

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Canaan	Bennington
People
Population	3,811Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±3.7Lowest 14% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Canaan and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kHighest about the U.S. average	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$26kHighest 24% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Canaan and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Highest 92% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canaan and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	14.9%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Canaan 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	#83 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.