What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has the most people working from home (18.7%).

Lunenburg has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

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	Charleston	Lunenburg
People
Population	936Lowest	1,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT	51.2±4.2Lowest 19% above VT
	Charleston and Lunenburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.1%±3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Lunenburg and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%	24.1%±3.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	14.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	2.6%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Charleston and Lunenburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below VT	$53,125±$9kHighest 35% below VT
	Lunenburg and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kHighest 25% below VT	$164,000±$11kLowest 48% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 21% below VT	$1,025±$172Highest 17% below VT
	Lunenburg and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Highest 26% below VT	$2,702Lowest 46% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.5%±57.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Lunenburg and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	82.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% above VT	30 minHighest 28% above VT
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%	4.9%±2.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Charleston School District	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
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.