Compare towns
Ira vs Bennington vs Sandgate
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k median).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).
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.
| Measure | Ira | Bennington | Sandgate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 381Lowest |
15,249Highest |
435 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7% VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 54.1±5.5 26% above VT |
44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT |
55.7±5.4Highest 29% above VT |
| Sandgate and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 10.5%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9% |
13.1%±7.5 VT: 17.9% |
| Bennington and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 28.9%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Lowest VT: 21.4% |
26%±11.3 VT: 21.4% |
| Ira and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 37.1% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
37.8%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±3.5 VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
2.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $71,827±$5kHighest 12% below VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
$69,167±$19k 15% below VT |
| Ira and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $272,900±$18kHighest 14% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
$193,800±$31kLowest 39% below VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $942±$52Lowest 24% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
— |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,146 18% below VT |
$4,513Highest 10% below VT |
$2,778Lowest 45% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 36.4%±100 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.4%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 90.7% VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
94.3%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1975Highest 1 yr older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1959Lowest 17 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 20% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
27 min 16% above VT |
| Work from home | 2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
34.6%±32.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Sandgate 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 | — | #58 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | — |
| High school in town | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.