Compare towns
Fairlee vs Townsend vs Bradford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Fairlee has the most people working from home (15%).
Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).
Bradford has the most homeowners (87.1%).
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.
| Measure | Fairlee | Townsend | Bradford |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,066Lowest |
9,100Highest |
2,827 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-0.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S. |
40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S. |
42.7±3.1 10% above U.S. |
| Kids under 18 | 12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
20.1%±5.7 U.S.: 22% |
| Townsend and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.9%±5.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Fairlee and Bradford 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% |
35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.2% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.7%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Fairlee and Townsend 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. |
$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S. |
$108,162±$15k 34% above U.S. |
| Townsend and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $274,200±$39k 18% below U.S. |
$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S. |
$258,600±$30kLowest 22% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S. |
$1,221±$808 14% below U.S. |
| Townsend and Bradford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,617 80% above U.S. |
$6,031Highest 93% above U.S. |
$4,472Lowest 43% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
50.6%±16.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
27.9%±23.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Fairlee and Townsend 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% |
8.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
82% U.S.: 65.2% |
87.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 24 minLowest 8% below U.S. |
37 minHighest 41% above U.S. |
25 min 7% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 15%±7.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.7%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Fairlee and Townsend 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 | — | #136 of 282 in MA | #45 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Rivendell Interstate School District | North Middlesex | Oxbow Unified Union School District #91 |
| High school in town | None in town | North Middlesex Regional | Oxbow Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 13.1Highest |
9.5Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.