What stands out worked out from the figures below

Beecher Falls has the most affordable homes ($98k median).

Topsham has the most people working from home (14.2%).

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	Beecher Falls	Topsham
People
Population	67Lowest	999Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.2% VT: +2.8%
Median age	57.5±2.6Highest 33% above VT	50.1±5.9Lowest 16% above VT
	Beecher Falls and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	9%±40.6Lowest VT: 17.9%	18%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Topsham and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.8%±43.2Highest VT: 21.4%	23.2%±4.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Beecher Falls and Topsham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	5.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%	28.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±21.1Lowest VT: 7%	1.7%±1.3Highest VT: 7%
	Topsham and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$26,042±$24kLowest 68% below VT	$72,308±$60kHighest 11% below VT
	Topsham and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$98,100±$36kLowest 69% below VT	$222,900±$56kHighest 30% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$908±$398 26% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,438Lowest 52% below VT	$4,006Highest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	91.9%±28.3 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	10.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	18.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	90.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 26 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	35 min 49% above VT
Work from home	0%±27.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	14.2%±5.8Highest VT: 16.9%
	Topsham and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Waits River Union High District #36
High school in town	—	None in town
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.