What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lyons has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

Bennington has the most expensive 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	Lyons	Bennington
People
Population	5,594Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±5.4Lowest 6% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lyons and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Lyons are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,524±$12kHighest 8% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Lyons and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$98,400±$12kLowest 70% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$920±$111Lowest 35% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,998Lowest 4% below U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.6%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	14.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	11.8%±8.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Lyons 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	#388 of 484 in NY	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	LYONS CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	LYONS SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	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.