What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most renters (42.5% rent).

Ellsworth has the most kids (13.7% under 18).

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	Fairlee	Ellsworth
People
Population	54Highest	51Lowest
Median age	63.5±7.6Highest 63% above U.S.	61.8±13.1Lowest 59% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	0%±52.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.7%±59.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37%±54.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	39.2%±46.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	11.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	25%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±26.2 U.S.: 6.4%	0%±33.3 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$21,071±$13kLowest 74% below U.S.	$89,375±$39kHighest 11% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$277,500±$28kLowest 17% below U.S.	$350,000±$170kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$620 25% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 20% above U.S.	$3,813Highest 22% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±55.5 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	50%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Work from home	23.5%±30.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	23.1%±26.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairlee and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.