What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has the most kids (21.4% under 18).

Middlebury has the most people working from home (18.8%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Dracut	Middlebury
People
Population	32,574Highest	9,175Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Highest 7% above U.S.	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlebury and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$86,169±$16kLowest 7% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$409,700±$30kLowest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,156±$113Lowest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 72% above U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±14.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dracut and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Dracut	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	12.6Lowest
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.