What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the highest household income ($92k).

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Hardwick	Bennington
People
Population	2,965Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Hardwick and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT
	Bennington and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT
	Bennington and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT	$4,513Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	11.8%±6Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Hardwick 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	#68 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	14.7Highest
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.