What stands out worked out from the figures below

Eden has the most affordable homes ($216k median).

Waterbury has the most people working from home (28.3%).

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	Eden	Waterbury
People
Population	1,351Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.7±1.9Lowest 13% below VT	43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average
	Waterbury and Eden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±4.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	21.9%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waterbury and Eden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.6%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.8%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±3.8Highest VT: 7%	3.4%±2.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Eden and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,578±$8kLowest about the VT average	$103,917±$23kHighest 28% above VT
	Waterbury and Eden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$215,900±$27kLowest 32% below VT	$447,200±$40kHighest 41% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,300±$441Highest 5% above VT	$1,027±$535Lowest 17% below VT
	Eden and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,313Lowest 34% below VT	$6,435Highest 28% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.3%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%	46.8%±21.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Waterbury and Eden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7.9%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	70.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1991Highest 15 yrs newer than VT	1983Lowest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 63% above VT	30 minLowest 28% above VT
Work from home	5.6%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%	28.3%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 70 in VT
School district	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	Harwood Unified Union School District #60
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.