What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most affordable homes ($188k median).

Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).

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	Madison	Williston
People
Population	4,782Lowest	10,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±3.4Highest 28% above U.S.	45.4±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Madison and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Williston and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Madison and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Williston and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,747±$11kLowest 24% below U.S.	$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$187,600±$40kLowest 44% below U.S.	$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$906±$247Lowest 36% below U.S.	$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,983Lowest 36% below U.S.	$5,592Highest 79% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.9%±11.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Williston and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest about the U.S. average	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Williston and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#11 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 59/MSAD 59	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	Madison Jr/Sr High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0	—
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.