What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danby has the most homeowners (89.3%).

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	Danby	Bennington
People
Population	1,133Lowest	9,245Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	52.6±4.8Highest 22% above VT	44.5±3Lowest 3% above VT
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	15.8%±3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Danby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	26.9%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Danby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.8%Highest VT: 43.8%	34.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Danby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,321±$13kHighest 5% below VT	$54,257±$12kLowest 33% below VT
	Danby and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,400±$41kHighest 14% below VT	$191,700±$28kLowest 39% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$794±$166Lowest 36% below VT	$1,115±$57Highest 10% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,543Highest 10% below VT	$4,331Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.4%±34.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	70.4%±17.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Danby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	11.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	54.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1954Lowest 22 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 26% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	12.1%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	12.6%±5.8Highest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Danby 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	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.