What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).

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	Williston
People
Population	4,394Lowest	10,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+16.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±4.3Highest 8% above VT	45.4±4.5Lowest 5% above VT
	Newport and Williston 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%	20.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Williston 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%	21%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Newport and Williston 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%	54.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	5.7%±2.7Highest VT: 7%
	Williston and Newport 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	$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$179,400±$11kLowest 43% below VT	$475,800±$40kHighest 50% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$49Lowest 31% below VT	$1,832±$130Highest 48% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,036Lowest 20% below VT	$5,592Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±15.8Highest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±17.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Newport and Williston 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%	4.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	75.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1993Highest 17 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 38% below VT	20 minHighest 16% below VT
Work from home	16.8%±8.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.3%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Williston and Newport 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	#11 of 70 in VT
School district	Newport City School District · North Country Union High School District	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
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.