What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most renters (42.5% rent).

Norton has the most kids (13% 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	Norton
People
Population	54Lowest	108Highest
Median age	63.5±7.6Highest 47% above VT	53.8±6.7Lowest 25% above VT
	Fairlee and Norton 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%	13%±21.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Norton 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%	31.5%±15.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee and Norton 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%	28.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±26.2Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton 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	$65,625±$23kHighest 19% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$277,500±$28kHighest 12% below VT	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$620 14% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Highest 26% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±55.5 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	50%Highest VT: 10.1%	13%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 34 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	39 min 68% above VT
Work from home	23.5%±30.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Fairlee 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.