What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norwich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k 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	Norwich	Fair Haven
People
Population	3,640Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Highest VT: +2.8%	+0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.8±3.2Highest 5% below VT	39.2±7.6Lowest 9% below VT
	Norwich and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	19.4%±5.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Norwich and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16%±3.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	18.4%±4.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Fair Haven and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81%Highest VT: 43.8%	23.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	4.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Norwich and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,313±$12kHighest 73% above VT	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$637,500±$76kHighest 101% above VT	$176,500±$14kLowest 44% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,460±$322Highest 18% above VT	$830±$116Lowest 33% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 98% above VT	$3,865Lowest 23% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	30.7%±19.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±20.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fair Haven and Norwich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	18.9%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.6%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 19% below VT	31 minHighest 31% above VT
Work from home	21%±5.3Highest VT: 16.9%	4.3%±2.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#1 of 70 in VT	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	Norwich School District	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	None in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.