What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

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	Durham	Milton
People
Population	2,641Lowest	10,769Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.8±5.1Highest 25% above U.S.	41.6±2.5Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Durham and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Durham and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.2%±7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Durham and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Milton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,471±$15kLowest about the U.S. average	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$26kLowest 26% below U.S.	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$844Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.
	Milton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,728Lowest 20% above U.S.	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.3%±40.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13%±7.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Milton and Durham 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	#100 of 484 in NY	#56 of 70 in VT
School district	CAIRO-DURHAM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Milton School District
High school in town	CAIRO-DURHAM HIGH SCHOOL	Milton Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	9.3Highest
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.