What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most affordable homes ($147k median).

Sheldon has the highest household income ($79k).

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	Sheldon
People
Population	730Lowest	2,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40±5.5Lowest 7% below VT	40.9±3.5Highest 5% below VT
	Sheldon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%	23.7%±3.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	12.6%±2.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	14.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	2%±1.3Highest VT: 7%
	Sheldon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$40,833±$8kLowest 50% below VT	$78,533±$25kHighest 3% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$146,900±$30kLowest 54% below VT	$272,400±$61kHighest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$761±$150Lowest 38% below VT	$1,286±$379Highest 4% above VT
	Sheldon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,185Lowest 37% below VT	$3,578Highest 29% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.8%±18.2Highest VT: 48.4%	0%±27Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	89%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 32% above VT	25 minLowest 7% above VT
Work from home	16.5%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%	13%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Barton and Sheldon 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	#38 of 70 in VT	—
School district	—	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85
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.