Compare towns
Busti vs Middlebury vs Ellicott
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Busti has the oldest population (median age 46.6).
Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).
Ellicott has the most affordable homes ($121k median).
Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Busti | Middlebury | Ellicott |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,452Lowest |
9,175Highest |
8,659 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6% U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.6±4.8Highest 20% above U.S. |
31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S. |
45.3±3.1 16% above U.S. |
| Busti and Ellicott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±3.3 U.S.: 22% |
11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22% |
20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Ellicott and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.8%±3.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
20.7%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
24.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Ellicott and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 29.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
27.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,292±$9k 17% below U.S. |
$86,169±$16kHighest 7% above U.S. |
$60,880±$7kLowest 25% below U.S. |
| Middlebury and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $164,600±$12k 51% below U.S. |
$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S. |
$120,700±$10kLowest 64% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,085±$106 23% below U.S. |
$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S. |
$875±$46Lowest 38% below U.S. |
| Middlebury and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,876 24% above U.S. |
$6,868Highest 120% above U.S. |
$2,662Lowest 15% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.5%±13.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
50.9%±14.4 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.5%±9.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Busti and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
10.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
11% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
71.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963 17 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minHighest 20% below U.S. |
16 minLowest 41% below U.S. |
16 min 40% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #17 of 70 in VT | #203 of 484 in NY |
| School district | — | Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55 | FALCONER CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT · SOUTHWESTERN CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT AT JAMESTOWN |
| High school in town | — | Middlebury Union High School | FALCONER MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 12.6Highest |
10.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 6 photos → | None yet | 1 photos → |
U.S. 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.