What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Fair Haven has the most people working from home (4.3%).

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	Barton	Fair Haven
People
Population	8,461Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.3±3.9Highest 19% above U.S.	39.2±7.6Lowest about the U.S. average
	Barton and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Fair Haven and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barton and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	23.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fair Haven and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,799±$9kLowest 32% below U.S.	$62,404±$16kHighest 23% below U.S.
	Fair Haven and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$141,000±$11kLowest 58% below U.S.	$176,500±$14kHighest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$956±$109Highest 32% below U.S.	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Barton and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,310Lowest 6% above U.S.	$3,865Highest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.7%±13.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±20.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barton and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	4.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fair Haven and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#251 of 484 in NY	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	WAVERLY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	WAVERLY HIGH SCHOOL	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.