What stands out worked out from the figures below

Darien has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Bennington has the most people working from home (10.5%).

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	Darien	Bennington
People
Population	2,988Lowest	3,220Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-3.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	50.5±8.8Highest 27% above NY	46.7±5.8Lowest 17% above NY
	Darien and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±5.9Lowest NY: 20.5%	20.5%±4.9Highest NY: 20.5%
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±6.2Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.4%±4.5Highest NY: 17.9%
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17%Lowest NY: 40.2%	26%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2Highest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest NY: 7%
	Darien and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,423±$15kLowest about the NY average	$89,050±$10kHighest 4% above NY
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$211,400±$21kLowest 50% below NY	$244,400±$24kHighest 42% below NY
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$942±$344 42% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,910Highest 25% below NY	$4,591Lowest 30% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±48.3Lowest NY: 52.1%	27.4%±29Highest NY: 52.1%
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest NY: 14%	8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	90.7%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1948Lowest 11 yrs older than NY	1969Highest 10 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 25% below NY	33 minHighest about the NY average
Work from home	5.6%±3.8Lowest NY: 14.9%	10.5%±4.9Highest NY: 14.9%
	Bennington and Darien are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.