| Bennington County, Vermont | |
Location in the state of Vermont |
|
Vermont's location in the U.S. |
|
| Founded | 1779 |
|---|---|
| Shire Town | Bennington & Manchester |
| Largest town | Bennington |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
678 sq mi (1,756 km²) 677 sq mi (1,753 km²) 1 sq mi (3 km²), 0.21% |
| Population - (2010) - Density |
37,125 55/sq mi (21.18/km²) |
| Website | www.rpc.bennington.vt.us |
Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 37,125. It has the unusual distinction of having two shire towns (sometimes called county seats). Bennington is known as the South Shire and Manchester is the North Shire[1]. Its largest town is Bennington.
Contents |
Bennington is the oldest county in Vermont still in existence, formed by a vote of the first general assembly in 1778. Vermont was split in two, with Bennington in the west.[2]
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 678 square miles (1,756.0 km2), of which 676 square miles (1,750.8 km2) is land and 1 square mile (2.6 km2) (0.21%) is water.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 12,206 |
|
|
| 1800 | 14,617 | 19.8% | |
| 1810 | 15,893 | 8.7% | |
| 1820 | 16,125 | 1.5% | |
| 1830 | 17,468 | 8.3% | |
| 1840 | 16,872 | −3.4% | |
| 1850 | 18,589 | 10.2% | |
| 1860 | 19,436 | 4.6% | |
| 1870 | 21,325 | 9.7% | |
| 1880 | 21,950 | 2.9% | |
| 1890 | 20,448 | −6.8% | |
| 1900 | 21,705 | 6.1% | |
| 1910 | 21,378 | −1.5% | |
| 1920 | 21,577 | 0.9% | |
| 1930 | 21,655 | 0.4% | |
| 1940 | 22,286 | 2.9% | |
| 1950 | 24,115 | 8.2% | |
| 1960 | 25,088 | 4.0% | |
| 1970 | 29,282 | 16.7% | |
| 1980 | 33,345 | 13.9% | |
| 1990 | 35,845 | 7.5% | |
| 2000 | 36,994 | 3.2% | |
| 2010 | 37,125 | 0.4% | |
| [3][4][5] | |||
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 36,994 people, 14,846 households, and 9,917 families residing in the county. The population density was 55 people per square mile (21/km²). There were 19,403 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile (11/km²). 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 according to Census 2000. 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.
| Year | Democrat | Republican |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 65.5% 12,524 | 32.1% 6,133 |
| 2004 | 58.1% 11,069 | 40.0% 7,616 |
| 2000 | 51.0% 9,021 | 41.2% 7,284 |
* Villages are census divisions, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
| Washington County, New York | Rutland County | Windsor County | ||
| Windham County | ||||
| Bennington County, Vermont | ||||
| Rensselaer County, New York | Berkshire County, Massachusetts | Franklin County, Massachusetts |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||