What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k 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	Springfield
People
Population	2,598Lowest	9,084Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average
	Springfield and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	18.6%±3.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Arlington and Springfield 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%	23.6%±3.7Highest VT: 21.4%
	Springfield 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%	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Arlington and Springfield 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	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT
	Arlington and Springfield 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	$4,807Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest VT: 73.2%	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 13% below VT	27 minHighest 16% above VT
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±5.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	14.3Highest
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.