What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakham has the most expensive homes ($420k median).

Fairlee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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	Oakham	Fairlee
People
Population	1,639Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.3Lowest 26% above U.S.	56.2±8.7Highest 44% above U.S.
	Fairlee and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	12.2%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oakham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fairlee and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,000±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$74,760±$10kLowest 7% below U.S.
	Oakham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$420,100±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$274,200±$39kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$81Highest 17% below U.S.	$1,083±$242Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Oakham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,103Lowest 32% above U.S.	$5,617Highest 80% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±69.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	89.2%±71.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fairlee and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 46% above U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	9.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15%±7.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Fairlee and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Quabbin	Rivendell Interstate School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.