What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Chittenden has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Berlin	Chittenden
People
Population	2,880Highest	1,318Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-1.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.6±2.4Lowest 17% above VT	50.8±6.3Highest 18% above VT
	Chittenden and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±4.2Highest VT: 17.9%	13.8%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Berlin and Chittenden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4%	21.8%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Berlin and Chittenden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	51.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	3.8%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Berlin and Chittenden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,691±$21kLowest 7% above VT	$106,250±$28kHighest 31% above VT
	Chittenden and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,600±$31kLowest 14% below VT	$346,800±$35kHighest 10% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$171Highest 5% below VT	$1,125±$488Lowest 9% below VT
	Berlin and Chittenden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,418Lowest 12% below VT	$5,346Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±19.9Highest VT: 48.4%	14.8%±55.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Berlin and Chittenden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 3 yrs newer than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 10% below VT	28 minHighest 21% above VT
Work from home	11.7%±3.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	15%±3.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Chittenden and Berlin 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	#16 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92	Barstow Unified Union School District #49
High school in town	None 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.