What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the highest household income ($68k).

West Burke has the shortest commute (25 min average).

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	West Burke
People
Population	431Highest	161Lowest
Median age	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT	59.2±16.3Highest 37% above VT
	West Burke 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%±10.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Athens and West Burke 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%	31.1%±13.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	West Burke 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%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7%	5%±3.3Highest VT: 7%
	West Burke and Athens 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	$27,321±$15kLowest 66% below VT
	Athens and West Burke 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	$275,000±$60kHighest 13% below VT
	West Burke and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT	$525±$373Lowest 57% below VT
	Athens and West Burke 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	$3,194Lowest 37% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%	77.8%±31.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	West Burke and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	20.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	61.3%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	25 minLowest 7% above VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	20%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	West Burke and Athens 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.