What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the shortest commute (15 min average).

Sheffield has the most people working from home (6.1%).

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	Sheffield
People
Population	293Lowest	573Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3% VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.9±20.1Highest 16% above VT	42±8Lowest about the VT average
	Canaan and Sheffield 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%	17.1%±6.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Canaan and Sheffield 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%	19.2%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Canaan and Sheffield 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%	27.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±5.3Highest VT: 7%	5.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Canaan and Sheffield 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	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below VT
	Canaan and Sheffield 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	$171,900±$50kHighest 46% below VT
	Sheffield and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$967±$79 22% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,480Highest 51% below VT	$2,123Lowest 58% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.2%±63.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	61.5%±41.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Sheffield and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 8 yrs older than VT	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	30 minHighest 28% above VT
Work from home	0%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	6.1%±2.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Sheffield and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	—	None in town
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.