Bennington County, Vermont


Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,347. The shire towns are jointly Bennington and Manchester, and the largest municipality is Bennington. Bennington is the only county in Vermont with two shire towns, and thus the only county in the United States to have two "shire towns" within its boundaries The county was created in 1778.

History

Bennington is the oldest county in Vermont still in existence, created by the first general assembly on March 17, 1778. Vermont was organized into two original counties, with Bennington in the west and Unity in the east. On February 16, 1781 Rutland County was created from Bennington County. On April 13, 1781, Bennington gained the gore east of the town of Bromley from Windham and Windsor Counties, now known as Landgrove.
From June 26, 1781, until February 23, 1782, Vermont attempted to annex part of New York east of the Hudson River ; inhabitants in the area favored Vermont's township form of government, while Vermont hoped to gain bargaining power through expansion. New York did not lose control of the area. For almost seven months Bennington County overlapped part of Albany County, New York.
On February 27, 1787, Windham County gained the town of Stratton from Bennington County, On October 25, 1805, Rutland County gained from the county when the town of Mount Tabor gained from the town of Peru. The county gained from Rutland County when the town of Dorset gained a small area from the town of Mount Tabor on November 17, 1825.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 37,347. Of the residents, 19.2% were under the age of 18 and 24.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 47.9 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.2 males.
The racial makeup of the county was 91.5% White, 1.2% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% from some other race, and 5.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 2.5% of the population.
There were 15,699 households in the county, of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 27.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 20,815 housing units, of which 24.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 72.1% were owner-occupied and 27.9% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.6%.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 35,91635,51733,89797.08%95.66%90.76%
Black or African American alone 1492914050.40%0.78%1.08%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 6971630.18%0.19%0.16%
Asian alone 2262643970.61%0.71%1.06%
Pacific Islander alone 41350.01%0.03%0.01%
Other race alone 34201190.09%0.05%0.31%
Mixed race or Multiracial 2524241,5220.68%1.14%4.07%
Hispanic or Latino 3445259390.92%1.41%2.51%
Total36,99437,12537,347100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 37,125 people, 15,470 households, and 9,767 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 20,922 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 96.6% white, 0.8% black, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.4% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were:
Of the 15,470 households, 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age was 45.1 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $47,396 and the median income for a family was $60,642. Males had a median income of $40,996 versus $32,068 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,962. About 8.6% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 36,994 people, 14,846 households, and 9,917 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 19,403 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.75% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 0.93% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.5% were of Irish, 16.0% English, 10.5% French, 9.1% German, 9.0% American, 8.1% Italian and 6.3% French Canadian ancestry. 96.4% spoke English, 1.2% Spanish and 1.2% French as their first language.
There were 14,846 households, out of which 30.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 10.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 26.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.91.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 16.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,926, and the median income for a family was $46,565. Males had a median income of $31,982 versus $23,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,193. About 7.00% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 7.90% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

In 1828, Bennington County voted for National Republican Party candidate John Quincy Adams and for Henry Clay in 1832.
From William Henry Harrison in 1836 to Winfield Scott in 1852, the county would vote for the Whig Party's candidates.
From John C. Frémont in 1856 to Richard Nixon in 1960, the Republican Party would have a 104-year winning streak in the county.
In 1964, the county was won by Democratic Party incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, who became not only the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the county, but to win the state of Vermont entirely.
Following the Democrats' victory in 1964, the county went back to voting for Republican candidates for another 20 year winning streak starting with Richard Nixon in 1968 and ending with George H. W. Bush in 1988, who became the last Republican presidential candidate to win the county.
In 1992 the county was won by Bill Clinton and has been won by Democratic candidates ever since.
The county has voted for the statewide winner in forty-seven consecutive elections, tied with neighboring Rutland County, Vermont for the longest such streak in the nation.

Education

Bennington is home to Bennington College. The Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College also have campuses in downtown Bennington. Southern Vermont College was located in Bennington, but closed in 2019.
Bennington County is home to these high schools:
Bennington County is home to these local law enforcement agencies:
  • Bennington Police Department
  • Manchester Police Department
  • Winhall Police Department
The Bennington County Sheriff's Department and Vermont State Police are two other sources of law enforcement for the county, especially in towns without their own local police departments.

Transportation

Major highways

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