Compare towns
Cornish vs Westminster vs Athens
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 shortest commute (24 min average).
Westminster has the most kids (28.4% under 18).
Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k 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.
| Measure | Cornish | Westminster | Athens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,816Highest |
497 |
431Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -1.5% U.S.: +7.4% |
— | — |
| Median age | 54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S. |
43.3±11.5Lowest 11% above U.S. |
47.3±6.5 22% above U.S. |
| Cornish and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.4%±3.2 U.S.: 22% |
28.4%±7.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
13.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.7%±11.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.6%±4.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Cornish and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
45.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.2%±3.5 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±3Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Athens and Westminster 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. |
$81,000±$22k about the U.S. average |
$68,438±$30kLowest 15% below U.S. |
| Cornish and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $296,000±$69k 11% below U.S. |
$313,600±$39kHighest 6% below U.S. |
$240,400±$32kLowest 28% below U.S. |
| Westminster and Cornish 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. |
$749±$315Lowest 47% below U.S. |
$1,125±$537 20% below U.S. |
| Cornish and Athens 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. |
$4,480Lowest 44% above U.S. |
$5,438 74% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 40.5%±38.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
6.1%±43.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
43.5%±39Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Athens and Cornish 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% |
2.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
12.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
80.1% U.S.: 65.2% |
73.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980Highest same as U.S. |
1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S. |
1973 7 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 8% below U.S. |
30 min 13% above U.S. |
36 minHighest 36% above U.S. |
| Work from home | 12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
23.1%±15.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
19.3%±7.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Westminster and Athens 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 | — | #53 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | Cornish School District | — | — |
| High school in town | None in town | — | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.