What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townshend has the most expensive homes ($287k 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	Townshend
People
Population	108Lowest	1,538Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	53.8±6.7Lowest 25% above VT	55.6±9.6Highest 29% above VT
	Townshend 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%±2.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Norton and Townshend 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%	19.3%±6.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Norton and Townshend 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%	52.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±10.7Highest VT: 7%	1.4%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Norton and Townshend 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	$78,750±$29kHighest 3% below VT
	Townshend 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	$287,200±$79kHighest 9% below VT
	Townshend and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,074±$80 13% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,769Lowest 45% below VT	$5,364Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	72.5%±23.1 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	13%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	82.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 68% above VT	25 minLowest 6% above VT
Work from home	25.5%±18Lowest VT: 16.9%	28%±18.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Townshend and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	West River Valley Union Education District #72B · West River Valley Union Education District #72A
High school in town	—	Leland & Gray Union Middle & High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.1
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.