What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Norwich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Norwich
People
Population	1,816Lowest	3,640Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	24%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S.	$140,313±$12kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S.	$637,500±$76kHighest 92% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,460±$322Highest 3% above U.S.
	Norwich and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 86% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.7%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Cornish and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest same as U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Norwich 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	—	#1 of 70 in VT
School district	Cornish School District	Norwich 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.