What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the highest household income ($92k).

Newport has the shortest commute (15 min average).

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	Hardwick	Newport
People
Population	2,965Lowest	4,394Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-2.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT	46.4±4.3Lowest 8% above VT
	Hardwick and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%	13.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Hardwick and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%	25.8%±4.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Newport 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%	25.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	2.8%±1.5Highest VT: 7%
	Newport 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	$54,646±$12kLowest 33% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kHighest 42% below VT	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT
	Hardwick and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$406Highest 29% below VT	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT
	Hardwick and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Highest 14% below VT	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Highest VT: 48.4%	48.2%±15.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Hardwick and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	23%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 14 yrs older than VT	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	15 minLowest 38% below VT
Work from home	11.8%±6Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.8%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Newport 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	#63 of 70 in VT
School district	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	North Country Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.7Highest
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.