What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

Kensington has the highest household income ($165k).

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	Hartland	Kensington
People
Population	3,460Highest	2,009Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.8±5.1Highest 43% above U.S.	43.3±5.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.5%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Kensington and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Kensington and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,136±$23kLowest 7% above U.S.	$165,083±$18kHighest 104% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$348,600±$39kLowest 5% above U.S.	$657,700±$47kHighest 98% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,813±$627 28% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,437Lowest 106% above U.S.	$9,637Highest 209% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.1%±89.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.4%±38.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hartland and Kensington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	13.4%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kensington and Hartland 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	#29 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Hartland School District	Kensington School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.