What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harmony has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Harmony	Middlebury
People
Population	2,344Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±7Highest 7% above U.S.	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Harmony and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlebury and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.	$86,169±$16kHighest 7% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43%±18.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±14.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middlebury and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.5Lowest	12.6Highest
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.