What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montpelier has the most renters (46.9% rent).

Sutton has the highest household income ($147k).

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	Montpelier	Sutton
People
Population	8,014Lowest	9,452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.3±2.4Lowest 9% above U.S.	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Sutton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Montpelier and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	52.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montpelier and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,030±$6kLowest about the U.S. average	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,100±$21kLowest 13% above U.S.	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,302±$113Highest 8% below U.S.	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Montpelier and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,936Highest 122% above U.S.	$6,763Lowest 117% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.4%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.5%±24.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	53.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 31% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	26.9%±5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Montpelier and Sutton 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	#9 of 70 in VT	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71	Sutton
High school in town	Montpelier High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	12.6Highest
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.