Compare towns
Northfield vs Hermon vs Waitsfield
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).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
Waitsfield has the most people working from home (19%).
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 | Hermon | Waitsfield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,920 |
6,727Highest |
1,918Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+19.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
+7.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S. |
41.1±4.7 6% above U.S. |
44.3±5.3Highest 14% above U.S. |
| Waitsfield and Hermon 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% |
21.6%±4.6 U.S.: 22% |
23.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Waitsfield and Hermon 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% |
20.4%±4.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
28.2%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Waitsfield and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
37.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
63.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $71,768±$13kLowest 11% below U.S. |
$96,629±$22kHighest 20% above U.S. |
$84,375±$34k 5% above U.S. |
| Hermon and Waitsfield 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. |
$333,600±$32k about the U.S. average |
$422,400±$92kHighest 27% above U.S. |
| Waitsfield and Hermon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,018±$207Lowest 28% below U.S. |
$1,406±$202Highest about the U.S. average |
$1,200±$821 15% below U.S. |
| Hermon and Waitsfield 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. |
$2,761Lowest 11% below U.S. |
$6,208Highest 99% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 63.3%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
47.4%±30.6 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Northfield and Waitsfield 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% |
6.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 73.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
75.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S. |
2000Highest 20 yrs newer than U.S. |
1980 same as U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 3% above U.S. |
23 minLowest 14% below U.S. |
25 min 5% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 12.1%±4.3 U.S.: 15.1% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
19%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Waitsfield and Northfield 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 | #42 of 70 in VT | #54 of 133 in ME | — |
| School district | Paine Mountain Union School District #68 | Hermon Public Schools | Harwood Unified Union School District #60 |
| High school in town | Northfield Middle/High School | Hermon High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.0Lowest |
14.6Highest |
— |
| 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.