What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brownington has the most affordable homes ($194k median).

Fairfield has the most expensive homes ($321k median).

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	Brownington	Fairfield
People
Population	1,144Lowest	1,938Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+8.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.5±4.5Lowest 6% below VT	42.3±2.7Highest about the VT average
	Fairfield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.1%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	25.4%±5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brownington and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.7%±2Lowest VT: 21.4%	14.3%±1.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Fairfield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	30.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Highest VT: 7%	3.5%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Brownington and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,556±$17kLowest 7% below VT	$87,019±$22kHighest 7% above VT
	Fairfield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$193,800±$40kLowest 39% below VT	$320,600±$22kHighest about the VT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$745±$504Lowest 40% below VT	$1,056±$441Highest 14% below VT
	Fairfield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,912Lowest 22% below VT	$4,816Highest 4% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	78.5%±29.7Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±20.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brownington and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT	1984Lowest 8 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 41% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	6%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	7.8%±3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Fairfield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
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.