What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hartland has the most kids (16.5% under 18).

Thornton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.8%).

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	Thornton
People
Population	3,460Highest	2,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.8±5.1Highest 43% above U.S.	51.1±3.4Lowest 31% above U.S.
	Hartland and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hartland and Thornton 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%	19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hartland and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thornton 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.	$90,022±$17kHighest 12% above U.S.
	Thornton and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$348,600±$39kLowest 5% above U.S.	$351,900±$20kHighest 6% above U.S.
	Thornton and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,270±$428 10% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,437Highest 106% above U.S.	$5,032Lowest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.1%±89.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±24.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thornton and Hartland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	88.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	13.4%±6.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 70 in VT	#18 of 120 in NH
School district	Hartland School District	Thornton 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.