What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.9%).

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	Gorham	Bennington
People
Population	18,300Highest	15,249Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±2.9Lowest about the U.S. average	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.9%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gorham and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,312±$6kHighest 39% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$460,900±$26kHighest 39% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,680±$355Highest 19% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,825Highest 55% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.9%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	19%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Gorham and Bennington 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	#24 of 133 in ME	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Public Schools	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Gorham High School	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.