What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charleston has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).

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	Reading
People
Population	936Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT	51.1±7.6Lowest 19% above VT
	Charleston and Reading 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%	18.5%±4.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Reading 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%	28.2%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Charleston and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Charleston and Reading 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	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above VT
	Reading 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±$53kLowest 25% below VT	$377,200±$72kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 21% below VT	$1,100±$331Highest 11% below VT
	Reading and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT	$5,754Highest 14% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±31.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Reading 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%	8.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT	1969Lowest 7 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% above VT	33 minHighest 41% above VT
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.9%±10.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Reading and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Charleston School District	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	None 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.