What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Fairfax has the highest household income ($129k).

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	Athens	Fairfax
People
Population	431Lowest	5,226Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+17% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT	38.8±3.3Lowest 10% below VT
	Athens and Fairfax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	24%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Fairfax and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%	12.5%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	49.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	4.3%±2.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Fairfax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT	$128,963±$29kHighest 59% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT	$378,200±$22kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT	$1,080±$131Lowest 12% below VT
	Athens and Fairfax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Lowest 8% above VT	$5,497Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%	43.3%±33.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Fairfax are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	85.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT	1994Highest 18 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	31 minLowest 31% above VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.7%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Fairfax and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#36 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Fairfax School District
High school in town	—	Bellows Free Academy Middle/High School (Fairfax)
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.8
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.