What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ira has the most kids (10.5% under 18).

Waitsfield has the most people working from home (31%).

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	Waitsfield
People
Population	381Highest	193Lowest
Median age	54.1±5.5Lowest 26% above VT	74.8±13.4Highest 74% above VT
Kids under 18	10.5%±4.7Highest VT: 17.9%	0%±14.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ira and Waitsfield 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%	71.5%±17.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	71.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.2%±9.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waitsfield 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	$26,384±$5kLowest 68% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,900±$18kLowest 14% below VT	$453,100±$98kHighest 43% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52 24% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 18% below VT	$4,688Highest 7% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	41.1%±49.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Waitsfield 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%	3.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	33.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975 1 yr older than VT	1975 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	14 minLowest 40% below VT
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	31%±23.9Highest VT: 16.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.