What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oneida has the most affordable homes ($160k median).

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Oneida	Bennington
People
Population	10,171Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47±2.4Highest 21% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Oneida and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oneida and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,597±$6kHighest 24% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Oneida and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$160,100±$9kLowest 52% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$903±$77Lowest 36% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,778Lowest 21% above U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 28% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 484 in NY	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	ONEIDA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	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.