What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the most affordable homes ($389k median).

Norwich has the most people working from home (21%).

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	Norwich
People
Population	2,680Lowest	3,640Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.3±9.7Highest 29% above U.S.	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Madison and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	24%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Norwich and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Madison and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Norwich and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,697±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.	$140,313±$12kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,700±$36kLowest 17% above U.S.	$637,500±$76kHighest 92% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,556±$256Highest 10% above U.S.	$1,460±$322Lowest 3% above U.S.
	Madison and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,074Lowest 31% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.2%±46Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.7%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Madison and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1982 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#1 of 70 in VT
School district	Madison School District	Norwich School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.