What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dover has the most affordable homes ($333k median).

Old Bennington has the highest household income ($169k).

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	Dover	Old Bennington
People
Population	1,466Highest	182Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+60% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.5±8.3Highest 24% above VT	45±21.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Dover and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.2%±5.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	22.5%±12Highest VT: 17.9%
	Old Bennington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.5%±6.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	30.8%±8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Old Bennington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	84.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	0%±7.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Dover and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,313±$7kLowest 36% below VT	$168,750±$53kHighest 108% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$332,900±$55kLowest 5% above VT	$445,500±$105kHighest 41% above VT
	Old Bennington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$670±$49Lowest 46% below VT	$1,063±$1kHighest 14% below VT
	Old Bennington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,510Lowest 10% below VT	$8,690Highest 72% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	40%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Old Bennington and Dover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	0%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 6% below VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	23.2%±11.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	46.7%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	River Valleys Unified School District #73	—
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.