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Cost of living, pay and housing

42.77° N · 73.23° W · GEOID 5056950

Pownal

Bennington County, Vermont · part of the Bennington, VT metro

Limited data population under 5,000, core figures borrowed from county or metro: median_gross_rent

VermontPownal, VTPownalPownal

The short answer

Pownal is home to 570 people. Median household income is $63,523 a year and median rent is $1,109 a month, 20.9% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $272,700, about 4.3x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$1,109
19% below the median place
Median household income
$63,523
21% below the median place
Median home value
$272,700
15% below the median place
Unemployment
4.4%
10% below the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Pownal

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 12 Vermont places.
  • 95% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 13 Vermont places.
01

Moving to Pownal

Bennington County gains about 2.7 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,461
Moved out1,379
Net+82

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Within Vermont, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within VermontOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$88K
Leavers$69K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Bennington County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
6.2% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 4.7% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Bennington County report $88,000 a year in income on average; those leaving, $68,900, so newcomers earn more than leavers.
Income you would need
$44,400 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $1,109 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,422 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $272,700.
Getting to work
20 minutes each way on average; 17.7% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Greensboro, NC matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
4.7%
138% above the median place
Income of households moving in5
$88,027
25% above the median place
Net movers per 1,000 people5
2.7
above the median place (median -0.6)
All 5 moving measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure6.2%7% above
Moved from another state1County figure4.7%138% above
Net movers per 1,000 people5County figure2.7above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in5County figure$88,02725% above
Income of households moving out5County figure$68,8752% below
02

What it costs to live here

Vacant homes is 0.0%, below the median place (median 7.1%).

Pownal20.9%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$44,360
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
20.9%
2% above the median place
Home price to income
4.3x
13% above the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
21%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$50,700
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Pownal, $1,109 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Pownal.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Pownal? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Vacant homes1
0.0%
below the median place (median 7.1%)
Homeownership1
95.0%
43% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,422
24% below the median place
All 14 cost and housing measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1County figure$1,10919% below
Rent to income120.9%2% above
Property tax rate11.1%24% above
Home price to income14.3x13% above
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,5037% below
Property tax paid (median)1$3,0756% below
Median home value1$272,70015% below
Home prices, 1-year change3County figure4.7%46% above
Home prices, 5-year change3County figure64.0%24% above
Homeownership195.0%43% above
Renters paying 30%+1County figure63.6%26% above
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,42224% below
Vacant homes10.0%below (median 7.1%)
Median year built119720% below
03

Work and pay

Commutes by transit is 0.0%, below the median place (median 0.8%).

Commutes by transit1
0.0%
below the median place (median 0.8%)
Income per person1
$24,510
39% below the median place
Poverty rate1
18.6%
73% above the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$63,52321% below
Income per person1$24,51039% below
Unemployment1County figure4.4%10% below
Average annual pay4County figure$62,1896% below
Pay growth, 1 year4County figure5.6%51% above
Jobs4County figure16,64289% below
Poverty rate118.6%73% above
Mean commute1County figure20 min18% below
Works from home1County figure17.7%42% above
Commutes by transit10.0%below (median 0.8%)
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1
0.0%
below the median place (median 6.4%)
Median age1
35.1
10% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Homes with broadband95.0% +3%
High school or higher90.5% −2%
Household size2.6 +3%
All 8 people measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population15706646th largest
Median age135.110% below
Bachelor's or higher1County figure41.8%30% above
High school or higher190.5%2% below
Household size12.63% above
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance10.0%below (median 6.4%)
Homes with broadband195.0%3% above
05

Life in Pownal

56 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places, one of them a National Historic Landmark.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars22.3 +7%
Shops61.2 2.0×
Arts, recreation and fitness9.7 2.4×
Doctors' offices and clinics19.1 −5%
Child care centers4.8 2.1×

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Public schools8
1
89% below the median place
Public school students8
249
95% below the median place
Students per teacher8
14.6
5% below the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools8189% below
Public school students824995% below
Students per teacher814.65% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k6County figure22.37% above
Shops per 10k6County figure61.2102% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k6County figure9.7137% above
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k6County figure19.15% below
Child care centers per 10k6County figure4.8109% above
National Register listings7County figure56331% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Average temperature is 43°F, 21% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Pownal. Larger places are fetched first.

Average temperature9
43°F
21% below the median place
July average high9
77°F
11% below the median place
Heat wave risk10
27.0
70% below the median place
All 11 weather and risk measures
MeasurePownalAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high9County figure77°F11% below
January average low9County figure11°F58% below
Average temperature9County figure43°F21% below
Annual precipitation9County figure49.4 in13% above
Natural hazard risk10County figure52.343% below
Hurricane risk10County figure71.92% above
Tornado risk10County figure20.974% below
Wildfire risk10County figure20.167% below
Heat wave risk10County figure27.070% below
Median air quality index11County figure3714% below
Good air days11County figure83.6%22% above
08

Places like Pownal

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Greensboro, NC$1,172$61,515Compare
Duluth, MN$1,087$68,807Compare
Johnson City, TN$1,023$57,254Compare
Little Rock, AR$1,106$63,003Compare
Little Rock, ARJohnson City, TNDuluth, MNGreensboro, NCPownal, VTPownalGreensboroDuluthJohnson CityLittle RockPownalGreensboroDuluthJohnson CityLittle Rock

Common questions

Is Pownal a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 12 Vermont places. 95% of homes are owner-occupied, more than in 96% of places its size. It is the highest of 13 Vermont places. On cost, space and class size it scores 57 out of 100 for families. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Pownal expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 20.9% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a heavier load here than usual. The median home is valued at $272,700.

What salary do you need to live in Pownal?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $44,360 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Pownal?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Greensboro, NC, Duluth, MN, Johnson City, TN and Little Rock, AR.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  4. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  5. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  6. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  7. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  8. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  9. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  10. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  11. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Pownal with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Pownal itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/pownal-vermont

Citytistics. “Pownal, Vermont.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/pownal-vermont/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.