What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harmony has the most homeowners (84.6%).

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	Harmony	Bennington
People
Population	2,344Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Harmony and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kHighest 26% below U.S.
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%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	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Harmony 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	—	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.5Lowest	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.