What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Springfield
People
Population	2,965Lowest	9,084Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average
	Hardwick and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Hardwick 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%	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Springfield 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%	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Hardwick and Springfield 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	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below VT
	Hardwick and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT	$192,400±$20kHighest 39% below VT
	Springfield 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	$963±$100Highest 22% below VT
	Springfield and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT	$4,807Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Springfield 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 VT: 10.1%	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	27 minLowest 16% above VT
Work from home	11.8%±6Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield 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	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	14.3Highest
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.