What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($274k median).

Ellsworth has the most people working from home (23.1%).

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	1,066Highest	51Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	56.2±8.7Lowest 44% above U.S.	61.8±13.1Highest 59% above U.S.
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Lowest 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+	33.4%±5.2Lowest 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+	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	25%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0%±33.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.	$89,375±$39kHighest 11% above U.S.
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% 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	$1,083±$242 23% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Highest 80% above U.S.	$3,813Lowest 22% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3 U.S.: 51.1%	—
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 min 8% below U.S.	—
Work from home	15%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.1%±26.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ellsworth and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.