What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Middlebury has the most expensive homes ($410k median).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% 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.

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

Measure	Arlington	Middlebury
People
Population	2,598Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Highest 13% below VT	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT
	Arlington and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2 VT: 21.4%	20.7%±2.6 VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	55.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 26% above VT	$86,169±$16kLowest 6% above VT
	Arlington and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kLowest about the VT average	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$1,156±$113Lowest 6% below VT
	Arlington and Middlebury 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	$6,868Highest 36% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest VT: 73.2%	65.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 13% below VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	18.8%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	12.6Highest
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.