What stands out worked out from the figures below

Mendon has the most expensive homes ($357k median).

Norton has the most affordable homes ($200k 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	Mendon	Norton
People
Population	1,113Highest	108Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.4±10.5Lowest 24% above VT	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT
	Norton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.6%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%	13%±21.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Mendon and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29%±1.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%
	Norton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,524±$23kHighest 24% above VT	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below VT
	Mendon and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,000±$44kHighest 13% above VT	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,230±$651 about the VT average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,342Highest 6% above VT	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	88.6%±42.7 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 28% below VT	39 minHighest 68% above VT
Work from home	22.5%±8.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Mendon 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.