What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colebrook has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Colebrook	Westminster
People
Population	1,988Lowest	2,999Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.7±4.9Highest 38% above U.S.	53.5±3.7Lowest 38% above U.S.
	Colebrook and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Westminster and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	27.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Colebrook and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Westminster and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,159±$6kLowest 37% below U.S.	$71,491±$4kHighest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,200±$59kLowest 42% below U.S.	$273,800±$35kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Westminster and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$750±$238Lowest 47% below U.S.	$916±$126Highest 35% below U.S.
	Westminster and Colebrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,350Highest 39% above U.S.	$4,063Lowest 30% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.3%±19.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.2%±7.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Colebrook and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	5.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#53 of 70 in VT
School district	Colebrook School District	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District
High school in town	Colebrook Academy and Elementary School (H)	Bellows Falls Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.4Lowest	10.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.