What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bethel has grown the fastest since 2010 (-4.3%).

Sutton has the most people working from home (11.6%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	1,736Highest	790Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-11.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.7±3.7Highest 18% above VT	46.6±5.7Lowest 8% above VT
	Bethel and Sutton 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%	17.3%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Sutton and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.7Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±2.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Bethel and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7%
	Sutton 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	$71,250±$18kLowest 12% below VT
	Bethel and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$41kHighest 25% below VT	$231,100±$41kLowest 27% below VT
	Bethel and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,335±$220 8% above VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,168Highest about the VT average	$3,975Lowest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±22Highest VT: 48.4%	37.8%±31.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Bethel and Sutton 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%	12.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	85%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1979Highest 3 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 19% above VT	30 minHighest 26% above VT
Work from home	7.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	11.6%±5.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Sutton and Bethel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	None 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.