What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lunenburg has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

Ryegate has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.8%).

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	Lunenburg	Ryegate
People
Population	1,267Highest	1,059Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	51.2±4.2Highest 19% above VT	41.2±2.6Lowest 4% below VT
Kids under 18	14.1%±3Lowest VT: 17.9%	23.2%±4.6Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	24.1%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±1.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Lunenburg and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	29.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.4Highest VT: 7%	2.4%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Lunenburg and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,125±$9kLowest 35% below VT	$66,484±$15kHighest 18% below VT
	Ryegate and Lunenburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$164,000±$11kLowest 48% below VT	$219,300±$32kHighest 31% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,025±$172Highest 17% below VT	$908±$236Lowest 26% below VT
	Lunenburg and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,702Lowest 46% below VT	$3,472Highest 31% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.5%±57.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	55.9%±29.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ryegate and Lunenburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT	1949Lowest 27 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 28% above VT	28 minLowest 18% above VT
Work from home	4.9%±2.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	8.2%±3.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Ryegate and Lunenburg are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64	—
High school 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.