What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dummer has the highest household income ($91k).

Ryegate has the youngest population (median age 41.2).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Dummer	Ryegate
People
Population	299Lowest	1,059Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.6±6.4Highest 38% above U.S.	41.2±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ryegate and Dummer 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%	22.1%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ryegate 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%	29.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ryegate 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.	$66,484±$15kLowest 18% below U.S.
	Dummer and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,200±$51kHighest 27% below U.S.	$219,300±$32kLowest 34% below U.S.
	Dummer and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$908±$236 36% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,898Lowest 7% below U.S.	$3,472Highest 11% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±29.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ryegate and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1949Lowest 31 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	8.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ryegate and Dummer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.