Compare towns
Mendon vs Randolph vs Sutton vs Strafford
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Mendon has the most people working from home (22.5%).
Randolph has the most renters (32.8% rent).
Sutton has the highest household income ($130k).
Strafford has the most expensive homes ($431k 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.
| Measure | Mendon | Randolph | Sutton | Strafford |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 1,113Lowest |
4,843Highest |
2,239 |
1,372 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-0.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
-0.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 53.4±10.5Highest 37% above U.S. |
40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S. |
48.1±4.1 24% above U.S. |
51.4±4.7 32% above U.S. |
| Mendon and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 14.6%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22% |
17.3%±4.4 U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±3.8 U.S.: 22% |
23%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Strafford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 29%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.9%±4.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.1%±3.4 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 49.4% U.S.: 35.7% |
40.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
44.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
53.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±3.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $100,524±$23k 25% above U.S. |
$76,758±$6kLowest 5% below U.S. |
$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S. |
$110,833±$19k 37% above U.S. |
| Sutton and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $357,000±$44k 7% above U.S. |
$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S. |
$362,600±$16k 9% above U.S. |
$431,300±$40kHighest 30% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,230±$651 13% below U.S. |
$1,172±$173 17% below U.S. |
$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S. |
$1,125±$789Lowest 20% below U.S. |
| Sutton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,342 71% above U.S. |
$4,698Lowest 51% above U.S. |
$7,652Highest 145% above U.S. |
$7,149 129% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 88.6%±42.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
54.1%±17.8 U.S.: 51.1% |
27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
44.6%±48 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Mendon and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 92.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
88.9% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1977 3 yrs older than U.S. |
1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S. |
1980Highest same as U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 17 minLowest 36% below U.S. |
21 min 22% below U.S. |
29 minHighest 11% above U.S. |
23 min 13% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 22.5%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
14.8%±5.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
16.1%±4.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
| Mendon and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #55 of 70 in VT | — | — |
| School district | — | Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59 | Kearsarge Regional School District | Strafford School District |
| High school in town | — | Randolph Union High School | Kearsarge Regional High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.4Lowest |
10.4Highest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.