What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most people working from home (17.9%).

St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

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	Bristol	St. Albans
People
Population	3,778Lowest	6,954Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.9±4.8Highest 11% above VT	38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT
Kids under 18	12.8%±3.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.5%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	21.9%±4.8Highest VT: 21.4%	13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±3.2Highest VT: 7%	2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Bristol and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,620±$8kHighest 8% below VT	$57,980±$7kLowest 29% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$337,300±$46kHighest 7% above VT	$263,400±$18kLowest 17% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$181Highest 3% above VT	$1,150±$78Lowest 7% below VT
	Bristol and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,978Highest 19% above VT	$4,436Lowest 12% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	St. Albans and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	19.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	49%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest same as VT	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% above VT	23 minLowest 4% below VT
Work from home	17.9%±6.1Highest VT: 16.9%	12.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Bristol and St. Albans 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	#31 of 70 in VT	#46 of 70 in VT
School district	Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
High school in town	Mt. Abraham Union High School	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.4Lowest
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.