What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most kids (19.4% under 18).

Athens has the most expensive homes ($240k 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	Marshfield	Athens
People
Population	470Highest	431Lowest
Median age	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT
	Athens and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±9.1Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	10.2%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,375±$20kHighest 4% above VT	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT
	Marshfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$178,300±$31kLowest 44% below VT	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT
	Athens and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$79 9% below VT	$1,125±$537 9% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,269Lowest 35% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±62.4Highest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 24% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Marshfield 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.