What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Colchester	Royalton
People
Population	17,648Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT	43.9±10.1Highest about the VT average
	Royalton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%	14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Royalton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	42.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	8%±4.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Colchester and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,891±$9kLowest 21% above VT	$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT
	Royalton and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT	$263,200±$73kLowest 17% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT	$1,040±$391Lowest 16% below VT
	Colchester and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,471Highest 9% above VT	$4,675Lowest 7% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.2%±10.6Highest VT: 48.4%	36.7%±16.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Colchester and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	63.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1965Lowest 11 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 15% below VT	20 minHighest 13% below VT
Work from home	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%	17.8%±7.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Colchester and Royalton 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	#18 of 70 in VT	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Colchester School District	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Colchester High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	8.7Lowest
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.