What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k median).

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	Fair Haven	Montpelier
People
Population	2,724Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.2±7.6Lowest 9% below VT	42.3±2.4Highest about the VT average
	Montpelier and Fair Haven 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%	17.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Fair Haven and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±4.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.3%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Montpelier 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%	66.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%	5%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Montpelier and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below VT	$81,030±$6kHighest about the VT average
	Montpelier 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	$375,100±$21kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT	$1,302±$113Highest 6% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT	$6,936Highest 38% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±20.9Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Fair Haven and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	53.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1955Highest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 31% above VT	18 minLowest 23% below VT
Work from home	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.9%±5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 70 in VT	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	10.4Lowest
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.