Compare towns
Westminster vs Bennington vs Hyde Park
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Westminster has the most people working from home (23.1%).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Hyde Park has the highest household income ($90k).
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 | Westminster | Bennington | Hyde Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 497Lowest |
15,249Highest |
513 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -2.7% VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 43.3±11.5 about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
42.6±10.1Lowest about the VT average |
| Bennington and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 28.4%±7.1Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
22.6%±6.5 VT: 17.9% |
| Westminster and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.7%±11.4 VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
16.4%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 45.4%Highest VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
41% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.2%±3.5 VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
2.1%±2Lowest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $81,000±$22k about the VT average |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
$89,946±$10kHighest 11% above VT |
| Hyde Park and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $313,600±$39kHighest about the VT average |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
$221,800±$57k 30% below VT |
| Westminster and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $749±$315Lowest 39% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,306±$285Highest 6% above VT |
| Hyde Park and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,480 11% below VT |
$4,513Highest 10% below VT |
$3,893Lowest 23% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 6.1%±43.8Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
42.1%±47.5 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
6.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
79.6% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1964Highest 12 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 30 minHighest 26% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
26 min 11% above VT |
| Work from home | 23.1%±15.9Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
7.9%±5.3Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Westminster 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 | #53 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT | #59 of 70 in VT |
| School district | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | — |
| High school in town | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7 |
— |
| 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.