What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newport has the most affordable homes ($179k median).

Sharon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Newport	Sharon
People
Population	4,394Highest	1,577Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±4.3Highest 8% above VT	45.6±7.7Lowest 6% above VT
	Newport and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	21%±5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Sharon and Newport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.8%±4.7Highest VT: 21.4%	25.1%±3.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Newport and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	37.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Highest VT: 7%	1.5%±0.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Newport and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$54,646±$12kLowest 33% below VT	$84,375±$17kHighest 4% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT	$346,700±$37kHighest 10% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT	$1,386±$155Highest 12% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT	$5,903Highest 17% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±15.8Highest VT: 48.4%	19.8%±17.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Newport and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23%Highest VT: 10.1%	3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	79.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	26 minHighest 12% above VT
Work from home	16.8%±8.3Highest VT: 16.9%	12.7%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Newport and Sharon 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	#63 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District	Sharon School District
High school in town	North Country Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.