What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orwell has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.9%).

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Orwell	Bennington
People
Population	1,294Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.5±7Highest 10% above VT	44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Orwell and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Orwell and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Bennington and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,417±$22kHighest 13% below VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
	Orwell and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,105±$51Lowest 10% below VT	$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT
	Bennington and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,914Lowest 22% below VT	$4,513Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±35.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 15% above VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	13.3%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Orwell 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	—	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	None in town	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.7
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.