What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has the highest household income ($111k).

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	Strafford
People
Population	936Lowest	1,372Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT	51.4±4.7Lowest 19% above VT
	Charleston and Strafford 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%	23%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±3.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	53.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±2.6Highest VT: 7%
	Strafford and Charleston 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	$110,833±$19kHighest 36% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,000±$53kLowest 25% below VT	$431,300±$40kHighest 36% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$979±$444Lowest 21% below VT	$1,125±$789Highest 9% below VT
	Strafford 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	$7,149Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±48Highest VT: 48.4%
	Strafford 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%	5.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980 4 yrs newer than VT	1980 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% above VT	23 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	18.7%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%	16.1%±4.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Charleston and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Charleston School District	Strafford School District
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.