What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wells has the most affordable homes ($243k 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	Wells
People
Population	3,916Highest	1,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	52.2±5Highest 21% above VT	50.7±5.2Lowest 18% above VT
	Charlotte and Wells 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%	15.1%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Charlotte and Wells 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%	24.5%±2.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Wells 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 VT: 43.8%	29.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±1.2Lowest VT: 7%	3%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Wells 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	$75,417±$11kLowest 7% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$695,300±$53kHighest 120% above VT	$243,000±$42kLowest 23% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,738±$803Highest 41% above VT	$1,313±$282Lowest 6% above VT
	Charlotte and Wells 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	$3,308Lowest 34% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.1%±28.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.5%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Wells and Charlotte 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%	15.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest VT: 73.2%	93.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% above VT	48 minHighest 102% above VT
Work from home	29.8%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%	11.3%±6.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#3 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	Wells Spring Unified Union School District #69
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.