What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the most expensive homes ($433k 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	Townsend
People
Population	2,598Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	40.9±3.3Highest 5% above U.S.
	Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Arlington 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Arlington and Townsend 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%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend 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±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
	Townsend 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±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend 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.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	13.1Highest
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.