What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

Bridgewater has the shortest commute (24 min average).

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	Norton	Bridgewater
People
Population	108Lowest	980Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.5% VT: +2.8%
Median age	53.8±6.7Lowest 25% above VT	57.1±8Highest 32% above VT
	Bridgewater and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13%±21.1Highest VT: 17.9%	12.8%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Norton and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.5%±15.8Highest VT: 21.4%	30.2%±0.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	40.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±10.7Lowest VT: 7%	5.8%±3.8Highest VT: 7%
	Bridgewater and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below VT	$70,272±$3kHighest 13% below VT
	Bridgewater and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$200,000±$32kLowest 37% below VT	$218,300±$55kHighest 31% below VT
	Bridgewater and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$850±$778 31% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT	$3,418Highest 32% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	59.7%±39.1 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	13%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	85.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 68% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±6.6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Bridgewater are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.