What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has the highest household income ($76k).

Pawlet has the most people working from home (20.4%).

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	Bethel	Pawlet
People
Population	1,736Highest	1,480Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.7±3.7Highest 18% above VT	47.9±7.5Lowest 11% above VT
	Bethel and Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.3%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	27.3%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Pawlet and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	37.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	4.4%±2.9Highest VT: 7%
	Pawlet and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,822±$7kHighest 7% below VT	$62,273±$14kLowest 23% below VT
	Bethel and Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kLowest 25% below VT	$266,200±$44kHighest 16% below VT
	Pawlet and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220Highest 8% above VT	$1,153±$215Lowest 7% below VT
	Bethel and Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Highest about the VT average	$3,924Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest VT: 48.4%	42.6%±21.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bethel and Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1964Lowest 12 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 19% above VT	33 minHighest 40% above VT
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.4%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Mettawee School District #84
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.