What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wilder has the shortest commute (17 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	Wilder
People
Population	431Lowest	3,087Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+81.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT	45.5±8.9Lowest 6% above VT
	Athens and Wilder 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%±4.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Athens and Wilder 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%	27.3%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Wilder 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%	60.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7%	8.1%±3.9Highest VT: 7%
	Wilder 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±$30kLowest 16% below VT	$75,143±$9kHighest 7% below VT
	Wilder 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	$273,200±$18kHighest 14% below VT
	Wilder and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Lowest 9% below VT	$1,142±$451Highest 7% below VT
	Wilder and Athens 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	$5,505Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%	39.9%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Wilder 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%	9.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	62.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 53% above VT	17 minLowest 29% below VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%	12.6%±6.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Wilder 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.