What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most people working from home (12.1%).

Whitehall has the most kids (26.7% under 18).

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	Northfield	Whitehall
People
Population	5,920Highest	2,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S.	36.8±4.8Highest 5% below U.S.
	Whitehall and Northfield 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%	26.7%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northfield and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	13.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,768±$13kHighest 11% below U.S.	$47,683±$8kLowest 41% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,400±$21kHighest 18% below U.S.	$102,000±$9kLowest 69% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,018±$207Highest 28% below U.S.	$975±$96Lowest 31% below U.S.
	Northfield and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,878Highest 56% above U.S.	$3,178Lowest about the U.S. average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.3%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.6%±18.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitehall and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	29.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	61.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Highest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	12.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	0.6%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#42 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Paine Mountain Union School District #68	—
High school in town	Northfield Middle/High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0	—
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.