What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ascutney has the most people working from home (17.5%).

Ira has the highest household income ($72k).

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	Ascutney	Ira
People
Population	381	381
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	64.4±7.3Highest 49% above VT	54.1±5.5Lowest 26% above VT
	Ascutney and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.2%±10.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	10.5%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Ira and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.9%±15Highest VT: 21.4%	28.9%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Ascutney and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.6%Highest VT: 43.8%	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±3.7Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±3.5Highest VT: 7%
	Ira and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,269±$46kLowest 34% below VT	$71,827±$5kHighest 12% below VT
	Ira and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$218,800±$91kLowest 31% below VT	$272,900±$18kHighest 14% below VT
	Ira and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$942±$52 24% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,429Lowest 32% below VT	$4,146Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	36.4%±100 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	0.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975 1 yr older than VT	1975 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 33% below VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±24.4Highest VT: 16.9%	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Ascutney and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.