Compare towns
St. Albans vs St. Johnsbury vs Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).
St. Johnsbury has the most affordable homes ($178k median).
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 | St. Albans | St. Johnsbury | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,954Lowest |
7,368 |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.6%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-3.1%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT |
42.8±3.8 about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.5%±3.7 VT: 17.9% |
21%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
21.1%±3.6 VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.7% VT: 43.8% |
30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7% |
5.6%±2.2 VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $57,980±$7k 29% below VT |
$57,738±$9kLowest 29% below VT |
$59,446±$7kHighest 27% below VT |
| Bennington and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $263,400±$18kHighest 17% below VT |
$177,700±$17kLowest 44% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT |
$914±$44Lowest 26% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
| St. Albans and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,436 12% below VT |
$3,916Lowest 22% below VT |
$4,513Highest 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.8%±11.8 VT: 48.4% |
48%±11Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.5%Highest VT: 10.1% |
16.8% VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 49%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
59.6%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945 31 yrs older than VT |
1944Lowest 32 yrs older than VT |
1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minHighest 4% below VT |
20 min 17% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 12.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
17.6%±4.8Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and Bennington 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 | #46 of 70 in VT | #60 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans) | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4Lowest |
— | 14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.