What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Norton
People
Population	810Highest	108Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.8% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.2±4.6Lowest 23% above VT	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT
	Norton and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±3.5Highest VT: 17.9%	13%±21.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Canaan and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.5%±5.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,606±$4kLowest 32% below VT	$65,625±$23kHighest 19% below VT
	Norton and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$201,900±$46kHighest 36% below VT	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
	Canaan and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,389Highest 33% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	17.2%±63.5 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	10.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 15% below VT	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	15.4%±6.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Canaan School District	—
High school in town	Canaan High School CTE Program	—
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.