What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Hartland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

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	Hartland
People
Population	1,816Lowest	3,460Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Lowest 39% above U.S.	55.8±5.1Highest 43% above U.S.
	Hartland and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hartland and Cornish 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%	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hartland 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.7%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hartland 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.	$86,136±$23kLowest 7% above U.S.
	Cornish and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S.	$348,600±$39kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Hartland and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227 14% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 86% above U.S.	$6,437Highest 106% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.1%±89.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Cornish and Hartland 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%	8.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	91.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.4%±6.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hartland and Cornish 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	—	#29 of 70 in VT
School district	Cornish School District	Hartland School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.