What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.1%).

Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k 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	Randolph	Bennington
People
Population	4,843Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.4±7.4Lowest 6% below VT	44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT
	Bennington and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Bennington and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Bennington and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Highest VT: 43.8%	36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±2.5Highest VT: 7%	5.8%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,758±$6kHighest 5% below VT	$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$278,700±$38kHighest 12% below VT	$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,172±$173Highest 5% below VT	$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT
	Randolph and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,698Highest 7% below VT	$4,513Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Bennington and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 5 yrs older than VT	1961Lowest 15 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 12% below VT	17 minLowest 27% below VT
Work from home	12.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Bennington and Randolph 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	#55 of 70 in VT	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Randolph Union High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	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.