What stands out worked out from the figures below

Au Sable has the most affordable homes ($133k median).

Colchester has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Au Sable	Colchester
People
Population	3,156Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±8Highest 17% above U.S.	39.3±1.4Lowest about the U.S. average
	Au Sable and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±7.7Highest U.S.: 22%	19.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Au Sable and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.9%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colchester and Au Sable are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,069±$36kLowest 18% above U.S.	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above U.S.
	Colchester and Au Sable are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$133,000±$43kLowest 60% below U.S.	$394,400±$25kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$328Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,474±$122Highest 4% above U.S.
	Colchester and Au Sable are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,242Lowest 4% above U.S.	$5,471Highest 75% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.3%±23Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.2%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Au Sable and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	3.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#248 of 484 in NY	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	AUSABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Colchester School District
High school in town	AUSABLE VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	11.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.