What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most expensive homes ($274k median).

Williamson has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.8%).

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	Williamson
People
Population	5,920Lowest	6,823Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S.	40.9±4.2Highest 5% above U.S.
	Williamson 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%	19.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Williamson and Northfield 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%	20.7%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Williamson and Northfield 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%	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,768±$13kLowest 11% below U.S.	$90,515±$14kHighest 12% above U.S.
	Williamson and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,400±$21kHighest 18% below U.S.	$192,700±$18kLowest 42% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,018±$207Highest 28% below U.S.	$659±$304Lowest 53% below U.S.
	Northfield and Williamson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,878Lowest 56% above U.S.	$5,172Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.3%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	25.1%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 3% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±6.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Williamson 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	#221 of 484 in NY
School district	Paine Mountain Union School District #68	WILLIAMSON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Northfield Middle/High School	WILLIAMSON SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Highest	8.3Lowest
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.