What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castleton has the most affordable homes ($225k median).

Dorset has the most people working from home (29.3%).

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	Castleton	Dorset
People
Population	4,453Highest	2,092Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.3±4.3Lowest 11% below VT	45.9±7.5Highest 6% above VT
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±6.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	24%±5.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.9%±4.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	72.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	19.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,854±$23kLowest 9% below VT	$111,250±$40kHighest 37% above VT
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$224,800±$71kLowest 29% below VT	$569,200±$57kHighest 80% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,137±$195Lowest 8% below VT	$1,420±$296Highest 15% above VT
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,167Lowest 37% below VT	$7,489Highest 49% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±21.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	74.4%±22.5Highest VT: 48.4%
	Dorset and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	11.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 17% below VT	22 minHighest 8% below VT
Work from home	6.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	29.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#39 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.