Compare towns
Cornish vs South Burlington vs Williston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).
South Burlington has the most renters (38.4% rent).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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.
| Measure | Cornish | South Burlington | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Lowest |
20,756Highest |
10,144 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+13.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
38.2±1.8Lowest about the U.S. average |
45.4±4.5 17% above U.S. |
| Cornish and Williston 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% |
19%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Williston and South Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21%±3.5 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Cornish and Williston 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% |
67.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
54.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
6.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.7%±2.7 U.S.: 6.4% |
| South Burlington and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S. |
$106,667±$13k 32% above U.S. |
$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S. |
| Williston and South Burlington 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. |
$443,400±$19k 33% above U.S. |
$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S. |
| Williston and South Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S. |
$1,787±$59 26% above U.S. |
$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S. |
| Williston and South Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,796 86% above U.S. |
$6,674Highest 114% above U.S. |
$5,592Lowest 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
42.9%±7.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Williston and South Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
61.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Lowest same as U.S. |
1989 9 yrs newer than U.S. |
1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minHighest 8% below U.S. |
18 minLowest 33% below U.S. |
20 min 25% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.6%±3.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Williston and South Burlington 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 | — | #12 of 70 in VT | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Cornish School District | South Burlington School District | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | None in town | South Burlington High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 11.0 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.