What stands out worked out from the figures below

Massena has the most affordable homes ($94k median).

Norwich has the most expensive homes ($638k 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	Massena	Norwich
People
Population	10,238Highest	3,640Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±4.7Highest 10% above U.S.	40.8±3.2Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Massena and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	24%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Norwich and Massena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Massena and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Norwich and Massena are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$51,458±$7kLowest 36% below U.S.	$140,313±$12kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$94,400±$15kLowest 72% below U.S.	$637,500±$76kHighest 92% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$722±$44Lowest 49% below U.S.	$1,460±$322Highest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,218Lowest 3% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.8%±11.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	30.7%±19.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Massena and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	24.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 32% below U.S.	19 minHighest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	5.2%±2.6Lowest 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	—	Norwich School District
High school in town	—	None in town
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.