What stands out worked out from the figures below

Milton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

Lancaster has the most affordable homes ($216k 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	Milton	Lancaster
People
Population	10,769Highest	3,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-8.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±2.5Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.5±6.9Highest 17% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.9%±6.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.4%±5.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Milton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$118,977±$10kHighest 47% above U.S.	$68,911±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$372,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.	$215,700±$24kLowest 35% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,536±$257Highest 9% above U.S.	$1,019±$263Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Milton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,610Highest 80% above U.S.	$4,226Lowest 35% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.1%±20.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.1%±17Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Milton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	16.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	23 minLowest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	14.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Milton and Lancaster 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	#56 of 70 in VT	#107 of 120 in NH
School district	Milton School District	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	Milton Senior High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3	—
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.