Compare towns
Northfield vs Epping vs St. Albans
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Northfield has the most affordable homes ($274k median).
Epping has the most people working from home (24%).
St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.5%).
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.
| Measure | Northfield | Epping | St. Albans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,920Lowest |
7,430Highest |
7,057 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+11.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S. |
45.1±3.5Highest 16% above U.S. |
41.3±2.8 6% above U.S. |
| Epping and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±4.8 U.S.: 22% |
20%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
| St. Albans and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
20.8%±3.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Epping and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
37%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
33.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
8.1%±4.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $71,768±$13kLowest 11% below U.S. |
$104,220±$7kHighest 29% above U.S. |
$90,060±$19k 12% above U.S. |
| Epping and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $274,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S. |
$436,900±$35kHighest 31% above U.S. |
$363,300±$22k 9% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,018±$207Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,742±$576Highest 23% above U.S. |
$1,460±$152 3% above U.S. |
| Epping and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,878 56% above U.S. |
$6,936Highest 122% above U.S. |
$4,689Lowest 50% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 63.3%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
67.8%±25.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
73.6%±20.9Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| St. Albans and Epping are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
4.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
5.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
79.3% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S. |
1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S. |
1987 7 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 min 3% above U.S. |
32 minHighest 22% above U.S. |
27 minLowest about the U.S. average |
| Work from home | 12.1%±4.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
24%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.7%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #42 of 70 in VT | #77 of 120 in NH | #46 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Paine Mountain Union School District #68 | Epping School District | — |
| High school in town | Northfield Middle/High School | Epping High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.0Highest |
9.3Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.