What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most kids (24.2% under 18).

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Canaan	Athens
People
Population	293Lowest	431Highest
Median age	49.9±20.1Highest 16% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Canaan and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±6.1Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Canaan and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.5%±13.1Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Canaan and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11%Lowest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±5.3Highest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Lowest VT: 7%
	Canaan and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,263±$14kLowest 26% below VT	$68,438±$30kHighest 16% below VT
	Athens and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$121,500±$14kLowest 62% below VT	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$537 9% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,480Lowest 51% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.2%±63.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 8 yrs older than VT	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	0%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
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.