What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Barton has the most affordable homes ($201k median).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Arlington	Barton
People
Population	2,598Lowest	2,815Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	44.9±6.5Highest 4% above VT
	Barton and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.7%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	23.5%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	2.9%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Arlington and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 26% above VT	$66,250±$16kLowest 18% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$201,200±$28kLowest 36% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$793±$70Lowest 36% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 10% below VT	$3,355Lowest 33% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966 10 yrs older than VT	1966 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 13% below VT	35 minHighest 50% above VT
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	13.4%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#38 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Lake Region Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	10.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.