What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colebrook has the oldest population (median age 53.7).

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Colebrook	Bennington
People
Population	1,988Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.9Highest 38% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colebrook and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,159±$6kLowest 37% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.
	Bennington and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,200±$59kLowest 42% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
	Bennington and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$238Lowest 47% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,350Lowest 39% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±19.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 20% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	5.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Colebrook School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (H)	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.4Lowest	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.