What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k median).

Benson has the most people working from home (18.6%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Ira	Benson
People
Population	381Lowest	784Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-7.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT	51.9±9.4Lowest 20% above VT
	Ira and Benson 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%	16.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Benson and Ira 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%	26.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Ira and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 7%	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%
	Benson 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±$5kLowest 12% below VT	$78,625±$8kHighest 3% below VT
	Benson and Ira 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	$242,000±$26kLowest 24% below VT
	Ira and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 24% below VT	$1,113±$170Highest 10% below VT
	Benson and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Highest 18% below VT	$4,125Lowest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	53.4%±35.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Benson 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%	5.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975 1 yr older than VT	1975 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 20% above VT	32 minHighest 35% above VT
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.6%±5.4Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	—	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.