What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton	Bennington
People
Population	2,239Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Sutton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Sutton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than 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	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Sutton 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	Kearsarge Regional School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	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.