Compare towns
Middlebury vs Wells River
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Middlebury has the most people working from home (18.8%).
Wells River has the most affordable homes ($171k 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.
| Measure | Middlebury | Wells River |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 9,175Highest |
340Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.7% VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT |
42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average |
| Wells River 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%±6.5Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Wells River 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% |
19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Middlebury and Wells River 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% |
16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7% |
0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT |
$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT |
$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT |
$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT |
| Middlebury and Wells River 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 |
$4,154Lowest 18% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 50.9%±14.4Highest VT: 48.4% |
47.6%±14.8Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Middlebury and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
38.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 65.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1976Highest same as VT |
1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 16 minLowest 33% below VT |
34 minHighest 43% above VT |
| Work from home | 18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9% |
5.2%±9.3Lowest 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 | — |
| High school in town | Middlebury Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.6 |
— |
| 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.