Compare towns
Arlington vs Durham vs Putney
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).
Durham has the most expensive homes ($504k median).
Putney has the shortest commute (18 min average).
Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Arlington | Durham | Putney |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,598Lowest |
15,080Highest |
2,622 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+5.8% U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 37.6±4Highest 3% below U.S. |
20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S. |
37.2±5.2 4% below U.S. |
| Arlington and Putney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.6%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22% |
15.4%±4.1 U.S.: 22% |
| Arlington and Putney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
18.1%±3.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Arlington and Putney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 55.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
75.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
20.4%±3.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $102,308±$11k 27% above U.S. |
$124,056±$21kHighest 54% above U.S. |
$79,706±$18kLowest about the U.S. average |
| Durham and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $318,500±$59k 4% below U.S. |
$504,300±$41kHighest 52% above U.S. |
$300,000±$44kLowest 10% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,191±$172 16% below U.S. |
$1,429±$143Highest about the U.S. average |
$508±$482Lowest 64% below U.S. |
| Durham and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,549Lowest 46% above U.S. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
$5,313 70% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
66.4%±16 U.S.: 51.1% |
54.2%±19.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Arlington and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
15.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
16%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 84%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
64.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
72.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S. |
1977 3 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 23% below U.S. |
19 min 27% below U.S. |
18 minLowest 32% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.4%±3.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
16.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #50 of 70 in VT | #9 of 120 in NH | #32 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Arlington School District | Oyster River Coop School District | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 |
| High school in town | Arlington Memorial | Oyster River High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6Lowest |
12.3Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 51 photos → | None yet |
U.S. 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.