What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marshfield has the most affordable homes ($178k median).

Panton has the most expensive homes ($438k 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	Panton
People
Population	470Lowest	690Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-4.6% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average	42.7±3.8Highest about the VT average
	Panton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±9.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	24.9%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Panton and Marshfield 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%	16.7%±2.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Panton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	35.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Marshfield and Panton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,375±$20kLowest 4% above VT	$86,667±$10kHighest 7% above VT
	Panton and Marshfield 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	$438,000±$40kHighest 38% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$79Lowest 9% below VT	$1,410±$130Highest 14% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,269Lowest 35% below VT	$6,695Highest 33% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.4%±62.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	61%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Panton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	3.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 24% above VT	26 minLowest 11% above VT
Work from home	17.5%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.7%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Panton and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.