Compare towns
Sheffield vs Bennington vs Bloomfield
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($123k median).
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
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 | Sheffield | Bennington | Bloomfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 190Lowest |
15,249Highest |
234 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7% VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 32.5±2.3Lowest 25% below VT |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
41.9±12 about the VT average |
| Bennington and Bloomfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 34.7%±13.7Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
27.4%±14.1 VT: 17.9% |
| Sheffield and Bloomfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 13.2%±14Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 16.5%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
32.7% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.1%±5.8 VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
0.9%±4.5Lowest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $65,795±$12kHighest 19% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
$54,375±$17kLowest 33% below VT |
| Sheffield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $122,700±$70kLowest 61% below VT |
$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT |
$190,600±$63k 40% below VT |
| Bennington and Bloomfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,219±$563Highest about the VT average |
$1,133±$63Lowest 8% below VT |
— |
| Sheffield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,714Lowest 66% below VT |
$4,513Highest 10% below VT |
$2,800 44% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
— |
| Bennington and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.9% VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
2.1%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 85.3%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
83.2% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 12% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
30 minHighest 28% above VT |
| Work from home | 8.6%±6.3 VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
4.6%±4.2Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Bennington and Sheffield 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 | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | — |
| High school 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 | 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.