What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sugar Hill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.9%).

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	Sugar Hill
People
Population	1,066Highest	658Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+14.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.2±8.7Lowest 44% above U.S.	60.8±2.1Highest 56% above U.S.
	Sugar Hill and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.2%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%	10.3%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Fairlee and Sugar Hill 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%	37.2%±12.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sugar Hill 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	59%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Sugar Hill 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.	$154,091±$32kHighest 91% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.	$639,700±$50kHighest 92% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,208±$630Highest 15% below U.S.
	Sugar Hill and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,617Lowest 80% above U.S.	$7,340Highest 135% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	40%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Sugar Hill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	15%±7.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sugar Hill 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 Our Story	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.