What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellows Falls has the most renters (49.3% rent).

Castleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (-5.5%).

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	Bellows Falls	Castleton
People
Population	2,891Lowest	4,453Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-5.5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.3±6.7Highest 4% below VT	38.3±4.3Lowest 11% below VT
	Bellows Falls and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±6.4Highest VT: 17.9%	18.8%±6.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Bellows Falls and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.7%±5.7Highest VT: 21.4%	20.7%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bellows Falls and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	37.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.2%±4.3Lowest VT: 7%	19.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,086±$2kLowest 31% below VT	$73,854±$23kHighest 9% below VT
	Castleton and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$195,600±$35kLowest 38% below VT	$224,800±$71kHighest 29% below VT
	Castleton and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,038±$109Lowest 16% below VT	$1,137±$195Highest 8% below VT
	Castleton and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,448Highest 12% below VT	$3,167Lowest 37% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.9%±16.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	67.7%±21.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Castleton and Bellows Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	12.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	79%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 14% below VT	19 minLowest 17% below VT
Work from home	6.9%±5.3Highest VT: 16.9%	6.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Bellows Falls and Castleton 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	—	#39 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
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.