What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Walden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Walden
People
Population	666Lowest	1,037Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	59.2±4.4Highest 37% above VT	48.8±3.2Lowest 13% above VT
Kids under 18	5.9%±3.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.3%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	34.2%±2Highest VT: 21.4%	20.4%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	26.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.1%±5Highest VT: 7%	4%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Grafton and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,111±$7kLowest 6% below VT	$88,000±$15kHighest 8% above VT
	Walden and Grafton 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	$238,900±$23kLowest 25% below VT
	Grafton and Walden 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	$900±$136Lowest 27% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,843Highest 4% below VT	$3,944Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.8%±69.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	56.3%±86.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Walden 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%	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% above VT	26 minHighest 10% above VT
Work from home	15.8%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.4%±6.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Walden 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	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
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.