What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ascutney has the shortest commute (16 min average).

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

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	Waltham
People
Population	381Lowest	452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	64.4±7.3Highest 49% above VT	60.8±7.3Lowest 41% above VT
	Ascutney and Waltham 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%	12.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waltham and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	44.9%±15Lowest VT: 21.4%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Waltham and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	39%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±3.7Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham 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	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT
	Waltham 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	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT
	Waltham and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,096±$113 11% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,429Lowest 32% below VT	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	29.2%±58.6 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	0.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 33% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±24.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and Ascutney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.