What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the oldest population (median age 63.5).

Windham has the most kids (17.5% 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	Windham
People
Population	54Lowest	594Highest
Median age	63.5±7.6Highest 47% above VT	44.2±7.4Lowest about the VT average
Kids under 18	0%±52.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.5%±7.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Windham 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%	23.2%±8.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee and Windham 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%	48.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±26.2Lowest VT: 7%	0.8%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
	Windham 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	$94,500±$12kHighest 16% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$277,500±$28kLowest 12% below VT	$353,900±$20kHighest 12% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$620 14% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT	$5,951Highest 18% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±55.5Highest VT: 48.4%	41.2%±94Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Windham 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%	9.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	82.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 34 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	27 min 14% above VT
Work from home	23.5%±30.4Highest VT: 16.9%	20.5%±5.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Fairlee and Windham 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

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.