What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlebury has the youngest population (median age 23.7).

Pendleton has the most kids (21.6% under 18).

Middlebury is a college town. 40.9% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury	Pendleton
People
Population	7,220Highest	7,034Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+10%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	23.7±1.3Lowest 39% below U.S.	46.7±4.1Highest 20% above U.S.
Kids under 18	8.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.8%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pendleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	61.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	40.9%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,250±$18kLowest 7% above U.S.	$113,750±$27kHighest 41% above U.S.
	Pendleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$417,400±$31kHighest 25% above U.S.	$294,300±$39kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,201±$120Highest 15% below U.S.	$994±$119Lowest 30% below U.S.
	Middlebury and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,795Highest 118% above U.S.	$6,623Lowest 112% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.6%±15.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	6.6%±17.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 45% below U.S.	23 minHighest 15% below U.S.
Work from home	19.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	18.4%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Middlebury and Pendleton 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	#17 of 70 in VT	#67 of 484 in NY
School district	—	STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.5
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	6 photos →	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.