What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Panton has the most people working from home (26.7%).

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	Panton
People
Population	809Highest	690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-4.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.7±5.8Lowest 3% below VT	42.7±3.8Highest about the VT average
	Panton and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±4.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	24.9%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Panton and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4%	16.7%±2.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Orleans and Panton 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%	35.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Orleans and Panton 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	$86,667±$10kHighest 7% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,300±$18kLowest 51% below VT	$438,000±$40kHighest 38% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$94Lowest 34% below VT	$1,410±$130Highest 14% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,019Lowest 40% below VT	$6,695Highest 33% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	61%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Panton and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	3.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 33% above VT	26 minLowest 11% above VT
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.7%±8.6Highest VT: 16.9%
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.