What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Williamstown has the most affordable homes ($235k 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	Williamstown
People
Population	2,598Lowest	3,579Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	+3.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	42±5Highest about the VT average
	Williamstown 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%	19.9%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Arlington and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4%	17%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Arlington and Williamstown 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%	17.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	4.8%±3.2Highest VT: 7%
	Williamstown 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	$94,418±$10kLowest 16% above VT
	Arlington and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$234,900±$24kLowest 26% below VT
	Arlington and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 3% below VT	$1,659±$189Highest 34% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 10% below VT	$3,841Lowest 24% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	83.7%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Williamstown 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%	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 13% below VT	23 minHighest about the VT average
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	13.9%±6.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#47 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	Paine Mountain Union School District #68
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Williamstown Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	9.5Lowest
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.