What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fair Haven has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.1%).

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	Fair Haven	Bennington
People
Population	2,724Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.2±7.6Lowest 9% below VT	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT
	Bennington and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Fair Haven and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±4.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,404±$16kHighest 23% below VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
	Fair Haven and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$176,500±$14kLowest 44% below VT	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT	$4,513Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±20.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 31% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.