What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the highest household income ($92k).

Fairlee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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	Cornish	Fairlee
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Lowest 39% above U.S.	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cornish and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fairlee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 14% above U.S.	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S.	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Cornish and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Cornish and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 86% above U.S.	$5,617Lowest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairlee and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.