Compare towns
Windsor vs Athol vs North Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Windsor has the most affordable homes ($170k median).
Athol has the most homeowners (72.4%).
North Bennington has the most people working from home (17.3%).
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 | Windsor | Athol | North Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,060 |
12,011Highest |
1,336Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 44.6±12.3Highest 15% above U.S. |
41.3±1.9Lowest 6% above U.S. |
43.9±10 13% above U.S. |
| Windsor and North Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21.1%±8.8 U.S.: 22% |
21.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
10.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Athol and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.2%±8 U.S.: 17.2% |
19.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
31.9%±8.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| North Bennington and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40% U.S.: 35.7% |
20.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
41.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.6%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
21.6%±6.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $51,197±$4kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$69,316±$5kHighest 14% below U.S. |
$68,571±$10k 15% below U.S. |
| Athol and North Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $170,300±$22kLowest 49% below U.S. |
$268,100±$13k 19% below U.S. |
$313,000±$40kHighest 6% below U.S. |
| North Bennington and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,002±$107Lowest 29% below U.S. |
$1,150±$182 19% below U.S. |
$1,447±$278Highest about the U.S. average |
| North Bennington and Athol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,878 56% above U.S. |
$3,403Lowest 9% above U.S. |
$5,590Highest 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 31.4%±20Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.5%±17.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
53.7%±26.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Athol and North Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
16.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 51.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
61.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1953 27 yrs older than U.S. |
1957Highest 23 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 min 16% below U.S. |
27 minHighest about the U.S. average |
18 minLowest 33% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.6%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.6%±3.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
17.3%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| North Bennington and Athol 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 | #61 of 70 in VT | #256 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | — | Athol-Royalston | — |
| High school in town | — | Athol High | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.6 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.