What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middlesex has the most people working from home (28.4%).

Troy has the most affordable homes ($188k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Middlesex	Troy
People
Population	1,943Highest	219Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	44.4±3.9Lowest 3% above VT	65.3±26.4Highest 52% above VT
	Troy and Middlesex are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±3.1Highest VT: 17.9%	16.4%±7.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Middlesex and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	51.1%±17.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	9.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.6Highest VT: 7%	3.2%±6.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Middlesex and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,632±$13kHighest 35% above VT	$91,688±$8kLowest 13% above VT
	Middlesex and Troy are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$376,300±$40kHighest 19% above VT	$187,500±$46kLowest 41% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,333±$359 8% above VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,483Highest 29% above VT	$2,480Lowest 51% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1970Lowest 6 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 17% above VT	19 minLowest 19% below VT
Work from home	28.4%±10.7Highest VT: 16.9%	3.7%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92	—
High school in town	None in town	—
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.