What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlebury has the most expensive homes ($410k median).

Appleton has the oldest population (median age 49.2).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% 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	Appleton
People
Population	9,175Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.
Kids under 18	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Appleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Appleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,169±$16kHighest 7% above U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
	Middlebury and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.	$235,600±$33kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Middlebury and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±14.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#17 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	Middlebury Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
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.