What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.7%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).

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	Dracut	Bennington
People
Population	32,574Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dracut and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Highest 72% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Dracut 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	#201 of 282 in MA	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Dracut	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Lowest	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.