What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.7%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Standish	Bennington
People
Population	10,662Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kHighest 30% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kHighest about the U.S. average	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$4,513Highest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Standish 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	#18 of 133 in ME	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.