What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most affordable homes ($254k median).

Shelburne has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Shelburne
People
Population	3,811Lowest	7,969Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±3.7Lowest 14% above U.S.	50.9±3.2Highest 31% above U.S.
	Shelburne and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Shelburne and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.2%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Canaan and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kLowest about the U.S. average	$115,963±$16kHighest 44% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$26kLowest 24% below U.S.	$588,100±$44kHighest 77% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,442±$589Highest about the U.S. average
	Shelburne and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Lowest 92% above U.S.	$8,173Highest 162% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	43.7%±10.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Canaan and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	14.9%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	31.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#83 of 120 in NH	#8 of 70 in VT
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.