What stands out worked out from the figures below

Clay has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4%).

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	Clay	Bennington
People
Population	59,995Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.8±1Lowest about the U.S. average	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Clay and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Clay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,707±$6kHighest 12% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$205,900±$6kLowest 38% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
	Bennington and Clay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,240±$40Highest 12% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,087Highest 63% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.6%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 19% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Clay 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	#249 of 484 in NY	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	LIVERPOOL CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · NORTH SYRACUSE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	LIVERPOOL HIGH SCHOOL	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.