What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fair Haven has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Fair Haven	Middlebury
People
Population	2,724Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.2±7.6Highest 9% below VT	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT
	Fair Haven and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	18.4%±4.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	20.7%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Middlebury and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	55.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below VT	$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT
	Middlebury and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$176,500±$14kLowest 44% below VT	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT	$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT	$6,868Highest 36% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±20.9 VT: 48.4%	50.9%±14.4 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	18.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	65.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 31% above VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 70 in VT	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	12.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.