What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlotte has the most expensive homes ($695k median).

Waltham has the most affordable homes ($330k 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	Waltham
People
Population	3,916Highest	452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	52.2±5Lowest 21% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham 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 VT: 17.9%	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Charlotte and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±5.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.2Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Charlotte 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 78% above VT	$97,500±$14kLowest 20% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$695,300±$53kHighest 120% above VT	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,738±$803Highest 41% above VT	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT
	Charlotte and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,221Highest 83% above VT	$5,714Lowest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.1%±28.6Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Charlotte and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% above VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	29.8%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Charlotte and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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

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.