What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orleans has the most affordable homes ($156k median).

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Orleans	Athens
People
Population	809Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	41.7±5.8Lowest 3% below VT	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Orleans and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,159±$10kLowest 30% below VT	$68,438±$30kHighest 16% below VT
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,300±$18kLowest 51% below VT	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$94Lowest 34% below VT	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,019Lowest 40% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 33% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Orleans 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.