What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ripton has the highest household income ($113k).

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	Ripton
People
Population	431Lowest	508Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+25.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT	47.7±14.2Highest 11% above VT
	Ripton and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Highest VT: 17.9%	11.8%±6.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Athens and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	30.5%±7.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Ripton and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7%	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT
	Ripton 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±$32kLowest 24% below VT	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537 9% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$4,915Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.9%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ripton 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%	8.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973 3 yrs older than VT	1973 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	17.2%±8.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	—	None in town
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.