What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norwich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($267k 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	Norwich	Bennington
People
Population	3,640Highest	1,588Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% above U.S.	42.1±7.8Highest 8% above U.S.
	Bennington and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	26%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Norwich and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Norwich and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,313±$12kHighest 74% above U.S.	$83,875±$7kLowest 4% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$637,500±$76kHighest 92% above U.S.	$267,300±$15kLowest 20% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,460±$322Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,292±$150Lowest 9% below U.S.
	Norwich and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$5,944Lowest 91% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.7%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	37.2%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	74.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	37 minHighest 40% above U.S.
Work from home	21%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.7%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Norwich 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	#1 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Norwich School District	Contoocook Valley School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.