Compare towns
Bellows Falls vs Cornish vs Westminster vs Williston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bellows Falls has the most renters (49.3% rent).
Cornish has the most homeowners (94.1%).
Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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.
| Measure | Bellows Falls | Cornish | Westminster | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 2,891 |
1,816Lowest |
2,999 |
10,144Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -12.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-1.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
-5.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.3±6.7Lowest 6% above U.S. |
54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
53.5±3.7 38% above U.S. |
45.4±4.5 17% above U.S. |
| Cornish and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 22.6%±6.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
18.2%±4.7 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2 U.S.: 22% |
| Bellows Falls and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 23.7%±5.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
27.3%±4.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
27.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Westminster and Cornish 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
40.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
46.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 8.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±3.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bellows Falls and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $56,086±$2kLowest 31% below U.S. |
$91,821±$2k 14% above U.S. |
$71,491±$4k 11% below U.S. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $195,600±$35kLowest 41% below U.S. |
$296,000±$69k 11% below U.S. |
$273,800±$35k 18% below U.S. |
$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,038±$109 27% below U.S. |
$1,221±$227 14% below U.S. |
$916±$126Lowest 35% below U.S. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,448 43% above U.S. |
$5,796Highest 86% above U.S. |
$4,063Lowest 30% above U.S. |
$5,592 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.9%±16.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
49.2%±7.5Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Westminster and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 25.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
88.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1980 same as U.S. |
1980 same as U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 20 min 24% below U.S. |
24 minHighest 8% below U.S. |
24 min 10% below U.S. |
20 minLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 6.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
12%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Westminster and Williston 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 | — | — | #53 of 70 in VT | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | — | Cornish School District | Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Bellows Falls Union High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 10.6 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | 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.