What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rockingham has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Benson has the most homeowners (80.9%).

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	Rockingham	Benson
People
Population	4,807Highest	784Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-7.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±2.6Lowest 8% above VT	51.9±9.4Highest 20% above VT
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%	16.5%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Rockingham and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±5Highest VT: 21.4%	26.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Rockingham and Benson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	7%±5.8Highest VT: 7%
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,857±$16kLowest 13% below VT	$78,625±$8kHighest 3% below VT
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,900±$14kLowest 33% below VT	$242,000±$26kHighest 24% below VT
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,062±$101Lowest 14% below VT	$1,113±$170Highest 10% below VT
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,887Highest 3% below VT	$4,125Lowest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±13.7Lowest VT: 48.4%	53.4%±35.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Benson and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 16% below VT	32 minHighest 35% above VT
Work from home	17.9%±7.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.6%±5.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Benson and Rockingham 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	#65 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Rockingham School District	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.