What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jackson has the highest household income ($77k).

Wardsboro has the most kids (18.8% under 18).

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	Jackson	Wardsboro
People
Population	1,695Highest	820Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	56.9±3.6Highest 46% above U.S.	51.6±7.3Lowest 33% above U.S.
	Jackson and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±6.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wardsboro and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.4%±5.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	27.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Jackson and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	38.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.9%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Jackson and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,375±$8kHighest 4% below U.S.	$62,000±$6kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$235,400±$40kLowest 29% below U.S.	$299,300±$47kHighest 10% below U.S.
	Wardsboro and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,139±$43Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,479±$224Highest 5% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,165Lowest 34% above U.S.	$4,345Highest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.8%±44.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	54.5%±58Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Jackson and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	11.1%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Wardsboro and Jackson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	River Valleys Unified School District #73
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.