What stands out worked out from the figures below

Monroe has the most affordable homes ($165k median).

Berlin has the most people working from home (11.7%).

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	Monroe	Berlin
People
Population	122Lowest	2,880Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	60.2±9.9Highest 55% above U.S.	50.6±2.4Lowest 30% above U.S.
	Monroe and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±28Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.6%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Berlin and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±27.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	26.8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Monroe and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	28.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±18.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Monroe and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$86,691±$21k 7% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$165,000±$141kLowest 50% below U.S.	$273,600±$31kHighest 18% below U.S.
	Berlin and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,169±$171 17% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,053Lowest 34% below U.S.	$4,418Highest 42% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±19.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Berlin and Monroe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	10.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	87.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	56 minHighest 113% above U.S.	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.
Work from home	0%±41.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.7%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Berlin and Monroe 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	—	#16 of 70 in VT
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

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.