What stands out worked out from the figures below

Grafton has the most expensive homes ($343k median).

Rochester has the most people working from home (40.8%).

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	Grafton	Rochester
People
Population	666Lowest	1,389Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3.5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	59.2±4.4Highest 37% above VT	53.3±7.6Lowest 24% above VT
	Grafton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	5.9%±3.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	10.4%±3.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Rochester and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.2%±2Highest VT: 21.4%	31.5%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Grafton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%	49%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.1%±5Highest VT: 7%	0.4%±0.6Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,111±$7kHighest 6% below VT	$72,676±$8kLowest 11% below VT
	Grafton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$343,200±$85kHighest 8% above VT	$253,600±$81kLowest 20% below VT
	Grafton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,288±$174Highest 4% above VT	$929±$158Lowest 25% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,843Highest 4% below VT	$3,977Lowest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.8%±69.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.4%±27.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Rochester and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	18.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs newer than VT	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% above VT	27 minHighest 17% above VT
Work from home	15.8%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	40.8%±27.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Rochester and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Athens Grafton School District	Rochester Stockbridge Unified School District #81
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.