What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Marshfield has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

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	Marshfield
People
Population	431Lowest	470Highest
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average
	Athens and Marshfield 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%	19.4%±9.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield 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%	10.2%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	3.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Marshfield 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	$84,375±$20kHighest 4% above VT
	Marshfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT	$178,300±$31kLowest 44% below VT
	Athens and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537 9% below VT	$1,125±$79 9% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$3,269Lowest 35% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.4%±62.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Athens 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%	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	81.2%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	29 minLowest 24% above VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	17.5%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Marshfield 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.