What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the highest household income ($87k).

West Burke has the most people working from home (20%).

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	West Burke
People
Population	2,880Highest	161Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.3% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	50.6±2.4Lowest 17% above VT	59.2±16.3Highest 37% above VT
	West Burke 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%	11.8%±10.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Berlin and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	31.1%±13.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	West Burke and Berlin 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%	28.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	5%±3.3Highest VT: 7%
	West Burke and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,691±$21kHighest 7% above VT	$27,321±$15kLowest 66% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,600±$31kLowest 14% below VT	$275,000±$60kHighest 13% below VT
	West Burke and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,169±$171Highest 5% below VT	$525±$373Lowest 57% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,418Highest 12% below VT	$3,194Lowest 37% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±19.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	77.8%±31.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	West Burke and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	20.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	61.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 3 yrs newer than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 10% below VT	25 minHighest 7% above VT
Work from home	11.7%±3.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	20%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	West Burke 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	—
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.