What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the most homeowners (94.2%).

Montpelier has the most people working from home (26.9%).

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	Dummer	Montpelier
People
Population	299Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	42.3±2.4Lowest 9% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%	17.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dummer and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Montpelier and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montpelier and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$21kHighest 13% above U.S.	$81,030±$6kLowest about the U.S. average
	Dummer and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,200±$51kLowest 27% below U.S.	$375,100±$21kHighest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,302±$113 8% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Lowest 7% below U.S.	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.4%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Montpelier and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	53.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% below U.S.	18 minLowest 31% below U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	26.9%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	—	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.4
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.