What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most people working from home (12%).

West Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($237k median).

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	West Fairlee
People
Population	1,816Highest	711Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	50.3±7.6Lowest 29% above U.S.
	Cornish and West Fairlee 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%	13.5%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cornish and West 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%	29.7%±6.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	West 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%	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	West 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.	$76,500±$16kLowest 5% below U.S.
	Cornish and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S.	$237,200±$35kLowest 29% below U.S.
	Cornish and West 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.	$1,113±$171Lowest 21% below U.S.
	Cornish and West 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.	$5,210Lowest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50%±89.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	West 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%	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	91.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	28 minHighest 7% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.5%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Cornish and West Fairlee 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.