What stands out worked out from the figures below

Jay has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Grafton has the most expensive homes ($343k median).

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	Jay	Grafton
People
Population	471Lowest	666Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest VT: +2.8%	-5%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	52.1±10.5Lowest 21% above VT	59.2±4.4Highest 37% above VT
	Grafton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.2%±7.3Highest VT: 17.9%	5.9%±3.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Jay and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	34.2%±2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%	7.1%±5Highest VT: 7%
	Grafton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,792±$25kLowest 8% below VT	$76,111±$7kHighest 6% below VT
	Grafton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,200±$45kLowest 26% below VT	$343,200±$85kHighest 8% above VT
	Grafton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,288±$174 4% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,588Lowest 29% below VT	$4,843Highest 4% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	53.8%±69.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Grafton and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	4.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97%Highest VT: 73.2%	89.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	2001Highest 25 yrs newer than VT	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	40 minHighest 69% above VT	24 minLowest 4% above VT
Work from home	27.3%±13.7Highest VT: 16.9%	15.8%±5.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Jay and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District	Athens Grafton School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.