What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newport has the most affordable homes ($179k median).

Bennington has the most kids (17.7% under 18).

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	Newport	Bennington
People
Population	4,394Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±4.3Highest 8% above VT	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Newport and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±4.7Highest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Newport and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,646±$12kLowest 33% below VT	$59,446±$7kHighest 27% below VT
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT	$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT	$4,513Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±15.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23%Highest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	17 minHighest 27% below VT
Work from home	16.8%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Newport 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	#63 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	North Country Union High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	14.7Highest
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.