What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ripton has the most people working from home (17.2%).

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	Ripton
People
Population	381Lowest	508Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+25.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT	47.7±14.2Lowest 11% above VT
	Ira and Ripton 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%	11.8%±6.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Ripton 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%	30.5%±7.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Ripton 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%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 7%	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kLowest 12% below VT	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kLowest 14% below VT	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52 24% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 18% below VT	$4,915Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.9%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ripton and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.2%±8.7Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	—	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.