What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.4%).

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Hartford	Townsend
People
Population	10,736Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.9Highest 11% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Hartford and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hartford and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,125±$7kLowest 3% below U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$304,500±$26kLowest 8% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,218±$118Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,773Lowest 85% above U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±12.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Hartford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 30% below U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	13.9%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Hartford and Townsend 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	#34 of 70 in VT	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Hartford School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Hartford High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	9.6Lowest	13.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.