What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gray has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Gray	Bennington
People
Population	8,429Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±4.5Lowest 12% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Gray and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,236±$8kHighest 18% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$363,700±$20kHighest 9% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,371±$89Highest about the U.S. average	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,683Lowest 18% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Gray are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	12.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Gray 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	#10 of 133 in ME	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 15/MSAD 15 · Fiddlehead School of Arts and Sciences	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Gray-New Gloucester High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.