What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Lancaster
People
Population	2,598Lowest	3,216Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-8.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	45.5±6.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	Lancaster 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 U.S.: 22%	20.9%±6.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster 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 U.S.: 17.2%	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lancaster 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 U.S.: 35.7%	30.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Arlington and Lancaster 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 27% above U.S.	$68,911±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
	Arlington and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest 4% below U.S.	$215,700±$24kLowest 35% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 16% below U.S.	$1,019±$263Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Arlington and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 46% above U.S.	$4,226Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.1%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Arlington School District	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	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.