Compare towns
Springfield vs Rochester vs Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Rochester has the most people working from home (40.8%).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Springfield | Rochester | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,084 |
1,389Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.3% VT: +2.8% |
-3.5%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average |
53.3±7.6Highest 24% above VT |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
| Rochester and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9% |
10.4%±3.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| Springfield and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4% |
31.5%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
49%Highest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.3%±1.4 VT: 7% |
0.4%±0.6Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,571±$13k 18% below VT |
$72,676±$8kHighest 11% below VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
| Rochester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT |
$253,600±$81kHighest 20% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
| Rochester and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $963±$100 22% below VT |
$929±$158Lowest 25% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,807Highest 5% below VT |
$3,977Lowest 21% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4% |
62.4%±27.8 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.8% VT: 10.1% |
18.5%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.7% VT: 73.2% |
86.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT |
1967Highest 9 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min 16% above VT |
27 minHighest 17% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 15.1%±5.5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
40.8%±27.6Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Rochester and Springfield 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 | #64 of 70 in VT | — | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District | Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District #81 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Springfield High School | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.3Lowest |
— | 14.7Highest |
| 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.