What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Fairlee has the most people working from home (5.5%).

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	West Fairlee
People
Population	381Lowest	711Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-4.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.1±5.5Highest 26% above VT	50.3±7.6Lowest 17% above VT
	Ira and West Fairlee 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%	13.5%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	West Fairlee 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%	29.7%±6.7Highest VT: 21.4%
	West Fairlee 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%	44.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±3.5Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Ira and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,827±$5kLowest 12% below VT	$76,500±$16kHighest 6% below VT
	West Fairlee and Ira 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	$237,200±$35kLowest 25% below VT
	Ira and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$942±$52Lowest 24% below VT	$1,113±$171Highest 10% below VT
	West Fairlee and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,146Lowest 18% below VT	$5,210Highest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	50%±89.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	West Fairlee 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%	7.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	91.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1978Highest 2 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 20% above VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	5.5%±5.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	West Fairlee and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Rivendell Interstate School District
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.