What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Kingston	Bennington
People
Population	6,275Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.5±5.7Highest 43% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,330±$12kHighest 30% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$492,900±$58kHighest 48% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$156Highest about the U.S. average	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,906Highest 153% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±46.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	15.7%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kingston 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	#78 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Sanborn Regional High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Lowest	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.