What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the most affordable homes ($200k median).

Mendon has the most expensive homes ($357k median).

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	Mendon
People
Population	108Lowest	1,113Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.5% VT: +2.8%
Median age	53.8±6.7Highest 25% above VT	53.4±10.5Lowest 24% above VT
	Norton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13%±21.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Mendon and Norton 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%	29%±1.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Mendon 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%	49.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Norton and Mendon 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	$100,524±$23kHighest 24% above VT
	Mendon 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	$357,000±$44kHighest 13% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,230±$651 about the VT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT	$5,342Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	88.6%±42.7 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	13%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	92.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 68% above VT	17 minLowest 28% below VT
Work from home	25.5%±18Highest VT: 16.9%	22.5%±8.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Norton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.