Compare towns
Roxbury vs Bennington vs Nelson
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Roxbury has the most homeowners (95.5%).
Bennington has the most renters (41.6% rent).
Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).
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.
| Measure | Roxbury | Bennington | Nelson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 299Lowest |
15,249Highest |
648 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-13.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.2±17.7 11% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S. |
42.3±11.7Lowest 9% above U.S. |
| Bennington and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
27.5%±6.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.8%±2 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
61.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Roxbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,226±$14k 14% below U.S. |
$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$99,792±$23kHighest 24% above U.S. |
| Nelson and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $323,100±$219k about the U.S. average |
$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S. |
$340,900±$49kHighest about the U.S. average |
| Nelson and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S. |
$1,203±$243Highest 15% below U.S. |
| Nelson and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,787Highest 86% above U.S. |
$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S. |
$5,575 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±68.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
90.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 21% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
24 minHighest 8% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
31.5%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #58 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Nelson School District |
| High school in town | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.