What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most renters (42.5% rent).

Mendon has the most kids (14.6% 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	Mendon
People
Population	54Lowest	1,113Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.5% VT: +2.8%
Median age	63.5±7.6Highest 47% above VT	53.4±10.5Lowest 24% above VT
	Fairlee and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	0%±52.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Mendon and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37%±54.9Highest VT: 21.4%	29%±1.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee and Mendon 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 VT: 43.8%	49.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±26.2Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Mendon and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$21,071±$13kLowest 74% below VT	$100,524±$23kHighest 24% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$277,500±$28kLowest 12% below VT	$357,000±$44kHighest 13% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$620Lowest 14% below VT	$1,230±$651Highest about the VT average
	Mendon and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT	$5,342Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±55.5Highest VT: 48.4%	88.6%±42.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	50%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	92.2%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 34 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	17 min 28% below VT
Work from home	23.5%±30.4Highest VT: 16.9%	22.5%±8.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Fairlee and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.