What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k median).

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

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	Ira	Norton
People
Population	381Highest	108Lowest
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT	53.8±6.7Lowest 25% above VT
	Ira and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	10.5%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	13%±21.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Norton and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.9%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kHighest 12% below VT	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below VT
	Ira and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kHighest 14% below VT	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52 24% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Highest 18% below VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	13%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 20% above VT	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.