Compare towns
Hardwick vs Concord vs Walden
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Hardwick has the most renters (23.6% rent).
Concord has the most affordable homes ($159k 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.
| Measure | Hardwick | Concord | Walden |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 2,965Highest |
1,145 |
1,037Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3% VT: +2.8% |
-7.6%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 47.1±7.4Lowest 9% above VT |
49.8±6.6Highest 16% above VT |
48.8±3.2 13% above VT |
| Concord and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 15.8%±4.4 VT: 17.9% |
15.9%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9% |
14.3%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| Concord and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 27%±5.9 VT: 21.4% |
27.1%±4Highest VT: 21.4% |
20.4%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Concord and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 33.7%Highest VT: 43.8% |
22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
26.4% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.4%±2.4 VT: 7% |
2.2%±2.1Lowest VT: 7% |
4%±2.1Highest VT: 7% |
| Walden and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT |
$73,304±$9kLowest 10% below VT |
$88,000±$15k 8% above VT |
| Hardwick and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $184,700±$39k 42% below VT |
$159,300±$8kLowest 50% below VT |
$238,900±$23kHighest 25% below VT |
| Walden and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $875±$406Lowest 29% below VT |
$1,111±$29Highest 10% below VT |
$900±$136 27% below VT |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,351Highest 14% below VT |
$3,026Lowest 40% below VT |
$3,944 22% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.6%±41.3 VT: 48.4% |
43.3%±82.4Lowest VT: 48.4% |
56.3%±86.8Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Walden and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 9.7% VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Highest VT: 10.1% |
9.3%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 76.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
93.6% VT: 73.2% |
93.8%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1962Lowest 14 yrs older than VT |
1977 1 yr newer than VT |
1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 minHighest 23% above VT |
27 min 13% above VT |
26 minLowest 10% above VT |
| Work from home | 11.8%±6 VT: 16.9% |
8.7%±4.7Lowest VT: 16.9% |
21.4%±6.7Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Walden and Hardwick 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 | #68 of 70 in VT | — | — |
| School district | Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26 | Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64 | Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78 |
| High school in town | Hazen Union High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 8.6 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.