What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Beecher Falls has the most homeowners (100%).

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	Beecher Falls
People
Population	293Highest	67Lowest
Median age	49.9±20.1Lowest 16% above VT	57.5±2.6Highest 33% above VT
	Beecher Falls and Canaan 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%	9%±40.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Canaan and Beecher Falls 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%	32.8%±43.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Canaan and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11%Highest VT: 43.8%	5.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±5.3Highest VT: 7%	0%±21.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Canaan and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$60,263±$14kHighest 26% below VT	$26,042±$24kLowest 68% below VT
	Canaan and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$121,500±$14kHighest 62% below VT	$98,100±$36kLowest 69% below VT
	Canaan and Beecher Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,480Highest 51% below VT	$2,438Lowest 52% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.2%±63.2 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 8 yrs older than VT	1950Lowest 26 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 min 38% below VT	—
Work from home	0%±7.2 VT: 16.9%	0%±27.8 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.