What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Orleans has the most affordable homes ($156k 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	Athens	Orleans
People
Population	431Lowest	809Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT	41.7±5.8Lowest 3% below VT
	Athens and Orleans 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%	17.9%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Orleans 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%	19.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	24.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	3.7%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kHighest 16% below VT	$57,159±$10kLowest 30% below VT
	Athens and Orleans 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	$156,300±$18kLowest 51% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT	$810±$94Lowest 34% below VT
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$3,019Lowest 40% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%	27.3%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Orleans 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%	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	64.1%Lowest 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	31 minLowest 33% above VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	8.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Orleans 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.