What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlotte has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.2%).

Essex has the most affordable homes ($278k 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	Charlotte	Essex
People
Population	3,916Highest	710Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.2±5Lowest 34% above U.S.	53.5±7.2Highest 38% above U.S.
	Essex and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	15.6%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Charlotte and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.9%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Essex and Charlotte are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Charlotte and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$144,375±$27kHighest 79% above U.S.	$77,188±$11kLowest 4% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$695,300±$53kHighest 109% above U.S.	$277,800±$50kLowest 17% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,738±$803Highest 23% above U.S.	$775±$709Lowest 45% below U.S.
	Charlotte and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,221Highest 196% above U.S.	$3,888Lowest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.1%±28.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	14.6%±42.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Charlotte and Essex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	29.8%±8.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.9%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#3 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.