Compare towns
Busti vs St. Johnsbury vs Harmony
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 grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.6%).
St. Johnsbury has the most people working from home (17.6%).
Harmony has the most affordable homes ($128k 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.
| Measure | Busti | St. Johnsbury | Harmony |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,452Highest |
7,368 |
2,344Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 46.6±4.8Highest 20% above U.S. |
42.8±3.8 10% above U.S. |
41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S. |
| Busti and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19.9%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21%±2.9 U.S.: 22% |
22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Harmony and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 23.8%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Busti and St. Johnsbury 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% |
30.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
| St. Johnsbury and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,292±$9kHighest 17% below U.S. |
$57,738±$9kLowest 28% below U.S. |
$58,600±$11k 27% below U.S. |
| Busti and Harmony 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. |
$177,700±$17kHighest 47% below U.S. |
$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S. |
| St. Johnsbury and Busti are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,085±$106Highest 23% below U.S. |
$914±$44 35% below U.S. |
$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,876 24% above U.S. |
$3,916Highest 26% above U.S. |
$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 55.5%±13.2Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48%±11 U.S.: 51.1% |
43%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Busti and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.4% U.S.: 12.5% |
16.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
59.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963 17 yrs older than U.S. |
1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 20% below U.S. |
20 minLowest 26% below U.S. |
26 minHighest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 9.5%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
17.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| St. Johnsbury and Busti 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 | — | #60 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | — | PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT |
| High school in town | — | — | PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 8.5 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
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.