What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Norwich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Norwich
People
Population	1,066Lowest	3,640Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% below VT
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	24%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%	16%±3.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	81%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Highest VT: 7%	4.8%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Fairlee and Norwich 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 8% below VT	$140,313±$12kHighest 73% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kLowest 13% below VT	$637,500±$76kHighest 101% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,083±$242Lowest 12% below VT	$1,460±$322Highest 18% above VT
	Norwich and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Lowest 11% above VT	$10,000+Highest at least 98% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%	30.7%±19.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	2.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	71.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 3% above VT	19 minLowest 19% below VT
Work from home	15%±7.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	21%±5.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norwich and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#1 of 70 in VT
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Norwich School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.