What stands out worked out from the figures below

Plainfield has the most affordable homes ($318k median).

Old Bennington has the most people working from home (46.7%).

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	Plainfield	Old Bennington
People
Population	1,314Highest	182Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.1±5.5Highest 12% above VT	45±21.3Lowest 4% above VT
	Plainfield and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	22.5%±12Highest VT: 17.9%
	Old Bennington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	30.8%±8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Old Bennington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%	84.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	0%±7.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Plainfield and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,250±$31kLowest 15% below VT	$168,750±$53kHighest 108% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,400±$34kLowest about the VT average	$445,500±$105kHighest 41% above VT
	Old Bennington and Plainfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,153±$103Highest 7% below VT	$1,063±$1kLowest 14% below VT
	Plainfield and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,806Lowest 5% below VT	$8,690Highest 72% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	73.2%±53.9Highest VT: 48.4%	40%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Plainfield and Old Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	0%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 21 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	46.7%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
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.