What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the most expensive homes ($185k median).

Rushford has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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	Hardwick	Rushford
People
Population	2,965Highest	1,185Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.1±7.4Lowest 21% above U.S.	55.9±7.6Highest 44% above U.S.
	Rushford and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rushford and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	32.7%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rushford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	23.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Rushford 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 U.S.	$58,977±$16kLowest 27% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kHighest 44% below U.S.	$113,700±$13kLowest 66% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$406 38% below U.S.	$875±$279 38% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Highest 39% above U.S.	$1,952Lowest 37% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	76.1%±52.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rushford and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	11.8%±6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±9.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Rushford 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	—
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.