What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lebanon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.6%).

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	Lebanon	Bennington
People
Population	14,999Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.9±3.1Lowest about the U.S. average	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Lebanon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Lebanon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	57.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lebanon and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,147±$10kHighest 22% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$385,400±$29kHighest 16% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,744±$132Highest 23% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,149Highest 161% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.9%±7.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 47% below U.S.	17 minHighest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lebanon 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	#29 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Lebanon School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Lebanon High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Lowest	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.