Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety74#245/924
Economy71#268/925
Housing1#920/925
Health71#269/925
Healthcare96#39/923
Environment82#168/917
Education93#62/925
Infrastructure55#419/925
Community99#10/925
Leisure & amenities99#14/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bennington, VT micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Voter turnout · high85.3%
100/100Vermont 69.5%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high4.4 /10k
100/100Vermont 3.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Food insecurity · low8.8%
99/100Vermont 9.6%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.5 /10k
99/100Vermont 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Public libraries · high2.7 /10k
98/100Vermont 2.9 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Poor or fair health · low14.2%
97/100Vermont 14.4%United States 19.9%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high51.5%
0/100Vermont 50.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Rent-burdened households · high63.6%
1/100Vermont 48.4%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Rent as share of income · high37.8%
1/100Vermont 29.4%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Depression · high31.5%
1/100Vermont 27.8%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.517
2/100Vermont 0.453United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Comfortable days · low21.9%
2/100Vermont 21.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Hot daysWorsening
0 days (2011-2020) → 1 days (2016-2025)
+133%5 yearsUS 41 days → 42 days
Child care cost burdenWorsening
26.7% (2020 & 2021) → 51.5% (2023 & 2024)
+25 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
41.0% (2015-2019) → 63.6% (2020-2024)
+23 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Homicide rateImproving
2.0 /100k (2021) → 0.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Drug overdose deathsImproving
48.1 /100k (2021) → 18.5 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−62%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
Preventable hospital staysImproving
3,905 /100k (2019) → 1,755 /100k (2023)
−55%4 yearsUS 3,767 /100k → 2,769 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bennington, VT micropolitan area improved on 15 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 6 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved15

Grocery stores+48%2.9 /10k → 4.4 /10k
Pharmacies+31%1.9 /10k → 2.5 /10k
Suicides−44%29.5 /100k → 16.5 /100k
Homicides−100%2.1 /100k → 0.0 /100k
Gyms+53%1.6 /10k → 2.5 /10k

Declined5

Rent / income+10 points27.5% → 37.8%
Rent burden+23 points41.0% → 63.6%
Inequality+0.0460.471 → 0.517
Violent crime+39%197 /100k → 274 /100k
Traffic deaths+36%9.5 /100k → 12.9 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Bennington, VT micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	8.6 /10k2020	11.5 /10k2025	+34%	Improved	90%
Average commute time	20.2 min2015-2019	20.3 min2020-2024	+0.1 min	Within the margin of error	62%
Average weekly wage	$9362020	$1,1962025	+28%	Improved	84%
Bachelor's degree or higher	36.2%2015-2019	41.8%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Improved	95%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	84.4%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	2%
Child poverty rate	14.7%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	15%
Distance to an airport	38 mi2020	38 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	26.8 /100k2020	18.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−31%	Improved	58%
Effective property tax rate	1.71%2015-2019	1.50%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	77%
Grocery stores	2.9 /10k2020	4.4 /10k2025	+48%	Improved	97%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.6 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	+53%	Improved	90%
High school diploma or higher	91.2%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	83%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	88%
Homicide rate	2.1 /100k2020	0.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−100%	Improved	95%
Income adjusted for local prices	$54,6092019	$73,3252024	+34%	Improved	67%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.5172020-2024	+0.046	Declined	2%
Median household income	$56,1832015-2019	$73,3252020-2024	+31%	Improved	68%
New business applications	8.0 /1k2020	11.5 /1k2025	+45%	Improved	48%
Pharmacies	1.9 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	+31%	Improved	97%
Poverty rate	10.9%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Property crime rate	1,648 /100k2020	898 /100k2025	−46%	Improved	77%
Public libraries	2.8 /10k2019	2.7 /10k2024	−3.9%	Little change	30%
Rent as share of income	27.5%2015-2019	37.8%2020-2024	+10 points	Declined	0%
Rent-burdened households	41.0%2015-2019	63.6%2020-2024	+23 points	Declined	0%
Restaurants and bars	12.3 /10k2020	12.6 /10k2025	+1.9%	Little change	54%
Suicide rate	29.5 /100k2020	16.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−44%	Improved	98%
Traffic deaths	9.5 /100k2015-2019	12.9 /100k2020-2024	+36%	Declined	13%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	3.1%2025	−3.4 points	Improved	61%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.6%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	+1.5 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Violent crime rate	197 /100k2020	274 /100k2025	+39%	Declined	7%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Bennington, VT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bennington, VT micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bennington, VT micropolitan area itself moved −4.3 points in standing on average over the same 29 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

37,269 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

14,987 households (±334)

Bennington, VT micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k18%2,686
$25k–50k19%2,834
$50k–75k14%2,135

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

14,987 households (±334)

Bennington, VT micropolitan area
United States share

Own74%11,042
Rent26%3,945

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

17,489 workers (±568)

Bennington, VT micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone70%12,224
Carpool6.9%1,206
Public transit0.1%†11

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Bennington, VT micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Bennington, VT has 1,258 employer establishments, 338 for every 10,000 residents (1.36× the US rate of 248), with 14,352 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,680. The Census Bureau also counts 4,025 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,258; 4,025 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 338; US 248
Paid employees: 14,352
Average annual pay: $48,680; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bennington, VT by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	102	27.4	1.77×More than typical	437	$56,867	437
Restaurants and other eating places	75	20.2	1.10×About typical	1,070	$27,812	7
Ambulatory health care services	71	19.1	0.92×About typical	807	$80,765	161
Construction of buildings	58	15.6	2.06×More than typical	184	$46,283	176
Services to buildings and dwellings	57	15.3	2.27×More than typical	193	$48,016	297
Full-service restaurants	42	11.3	1.47×More than typical	656	$30,169	4
Lessors of real estate	42	11.3	0.92×About typical	242	$46,777	501
Landscaping services	41	11	3.15×More than typical	158	$51,886	111
Traveler accommodation	39	10.5	5.81×More than typical	799	$43,116	34
Building equipment contractors	38	10.2	1.70×More than typical	206	$59,922	73
Automotive repair and maintenance	28	7.5	1.50×More than typical	107	$35,402	29
Clothing and accessories stores	28	7.5	2.08×More than typical	197	$30,685	24

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 37,175 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.3M on contracts performed in Bennington, VT micropolitan area: $63.77 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.3M; +24% vs FY2025
Per resident: $63.77; US $1,994
Sole-source: 2.3%; US 30%
Single offer: 88%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Environmental Protection Agency$2M86%
Forest Service$361.4K15%

Top recipients

CDM FEDERAL PROGRAMS CORPORATION$2M84%
DANIEL ALLARD, SR.$80.2K3.4%
BOWEN, JACK$69.1K3.0%
BEARDSLEY DESIGN ASSOCIATES ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, D.P.C.$67.5K2.9%
MILL BROOK FARMS, LLC$57K2.4%

Spending by fiscal year

1.2MFY2017
1.3MFY2018
1.2MFY2019
1.1MFY2020
1.7MFY2021
4.7MFY2022
1.3MFY2023
1.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$2M86%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$149.3K6.4%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$67.5K2.9%
Paint, coating, and adhesive manufacturing · 3255$52.6K2.3%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$31.1K1.3%
Support activities for forestry · 1153

Largest awards

REMEDIAL ACQUISITION FRAMEWORK (RAF), DESIGN AND ENGINEERING SERVICES (DES) TASK ORDER JARD COMPANY RI/FS AWARD$3.1M
AECOM TECHNICAL SERVICES, INC.· Bennington County, VT· Facilities & utilities· Jun 3, 2021 – Aug 20, 2026· 68HE0121F0026
RAF DES NEW TASK ORDER FOR POWNAL TANNERY SUPERFUND SITE.$2M
CDM FEDERAL PROGRAMS CORPORATION· Bennington County, VT· Facilities & utilities· Mar 27, 2026 – Jun 16, 2026· 68HE0126F0006
REGULAR JANITORIAL SERVICES FOR MANCHESTER RD GMNF.$104.3K
GERMRIP LLC· Bennington County, VT· Facilities & utilities· Feb 2, 2023 – Jun 15, 2026· 12444323P0019
2022 SUMMER MAINTENANCE OF ADMINISTRATIVE AND RECREATION SITES ON THE MANCHESTER RANGER DISTRICT AS SPECIFIED IN THE SCHEDULE OF ITEMS + 4 OPTION YEARS EXTENDING TO 2026.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $296.4M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Bennington, VT micropolitan area: $8,091 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $296.4M; −10% vs FY2025
Per resident: $8,091; US $12,955
Loan face value: $4.1M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$205M69%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$23.2M7.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$14.1M4.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$13.6M4.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$8.8M3.0%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$6.3M2.1%
20.263 · Bridge Formula Program$4.2M1.4%
47.083 · Integrative Activities$3.5M1.2%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRANSPORTATION, VERMONT AGENCY OF$15.9M5.4%
BARRE, VT
BENNINGTON COLLEGE CORPORATION$4.9M1.7%
BENNINGTON, VT
BENNINGTON HOUSING TRUST INC.$3.3M1.1%
BENNINGTON, VT
BATTENKILL VALLEY HEALTH CENTER, INC.$1.3M0.4%
ARLINGTON, VT
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF BENNINGTON

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$250.5M85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$16.3M5.5%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$15.9M5.4%
Department of Transportation
National Science Foundation$3.5M1.2%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$3.3M

Assistance by fiscal year

237.2MFY2021
244.7MFY2022
270.5MFY2023
299.4MFY2024
331.1MFY2025
296.4MFY2026

County aggregates

90%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Bennington, VT

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Bennington CountyCentral county8536,630

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BenningtonPrincipal city9,245

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Vermont

Areas based in Vermont, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M13540

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved15

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Bennington, VT micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Bennington, VT

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Vermont

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved15

Declined5

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought