What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Fairlee has the oldest population (median age 56.2).

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	Fairlee
People
Population	2,598Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	12.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	5.3%±3.7Highest VT: 7%
	Fairlee and Arlington 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	$74,760±$10kLowest 8% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$274,200±$39kLowest 13% below VT
	Arlington and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$1,083±$242Lowest 12% below VT
	Arlington and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Lowest 10% below VT	$5,617Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 13% below VT	24 minHighest 3% above VT
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	15%±7.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Arlington School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.