What stands out worked out from the figures below

Leicester has the most expensive homes ($310k median).

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Leicester	Athens
People
Population	1,026Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	48.8±3.8Highest 13% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Leicester and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Leicester and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±6.7Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Leicester and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,417±$30kHighest 13% below VT	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT
	Leicester and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$309,700±$107kHighest about the VT average	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT
	Leicester and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,098±$300Lowest 11% below VT	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT
	Athens and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 24% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±40.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 20% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	12.7%±5.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.