What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harmony has the most affordable homes ($128k median).

Stowe has grown the fastest since 2010 (+21.1%).

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	Harmony	Stowe
People
Population	2,344Lowest	5,285Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Stowe and Harmony 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%	22.5%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Harmony and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe 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%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Harmony and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.	$93,618±$33kHighest 16% above U.S.
	Stowe and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.	$1,458±$242Highest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43%±18.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harmony and Stowe 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%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
School district	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.5Lowest	11.3Highest
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.