What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Shaftsbury has the most people working from home (7.2%).

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	Fair Haven	Shaftsbury
People
Population	2,724Lowest	3,607Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+0.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.2±7.6Lowest 9% below VT	43±6.6Highest about the VT average
	Shaftsbury 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%±5.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	26.5%±6.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Shaftsbury and Fair Haven 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%	21.8%±4.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Shaftsbury 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%	40.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	2.1%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Fair Haven and Shaftsbury 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	$86,071±$24kHighest 6% above VT
	Shaftsbury 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	$267,300±$24kHighest 16% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT	$1,079±$54Highest 13% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT	$4,015Highest 20% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±20.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.7%±36Highest VT: 48.4%
	Shaftsbury and Fair Haven 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%	9.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	82.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 31% above VT	25 minLowest 5% above VT
Work from home	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	7.2%±5.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Shaftsbury and Fair Haven 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	#66 of 70 in VT	#62 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8	—
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.