What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

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	Townsend	Bennington
People
Population	9,100Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,133±$63Lowest 20% below U.S.
	Townsend and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	North Middlesex	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	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.