What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brownington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.5%).

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k 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	Sheffield
People
Population	1,144Highest	573Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.5±4.5Lowest 6% below VT	42±8Highest about the VT average
	Sheffield 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%	17.1%±6.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brownington and Sheffield 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%	19.2%±4Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	27.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.9%±4.7Highest VT: 7%
	Sheffield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,556±$17kHighest 7% below VT	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below VT
	Brownington and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$193,800±$40kHighest 39% below VT	$171,900±$50kLowest 46% below VT
	Brownington and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$745±$504Lowest 40% below VT	$967±$79Highest 22% below VT
	Sheffield and Brownington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,912Highest 22% below VT	$2,123Lowest 58% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	78.5%±29.7Highest VT: 48.4%	61.5%±41.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brownington and Sheffield 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%	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Lowest 9 yrs newer than VT	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 41% above VT	30 minLowest 28% above VT
Work from home	6%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	6.1%±2.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Sheffield 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	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
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.