What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k median).

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	Sheffield
People
Population	9,175Highest	573Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT	42±8Highest about the VT average
	Sheffield and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.1%±6.6Highest VT: 17.9%
	Sheffield and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%	19.2%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Middlebury and Sheffield 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 VT: 43.8%	27.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%	5.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below VT
	Middlebury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT	$171,900±$50kLowest 46% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT	$967±$79Lowest 22% below VT
	Middlebury and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,868Highest 36% above VT	$2,123Lowest 58% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±14.4Lowest VT: 48.4%	61.5%±41.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Sheffield 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 VT: 10.1%	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest same as VT	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 33% below VT	30 minHighest 28% above VT
Work from home	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%	6.1%±2.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
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	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	Middlebury Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.