What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.2%).

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	Reading
People
Population	809Highest	699Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.7±5.8Lowest 3% below VT	51.1±7.6Highest 19% above VT
	Reading 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%	18.5%±4.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Reading and Orleans 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%	28.2%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Orleans and Reading 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	$85,000±$19kHighest 5% above VT
	Reading 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	$377,200±$72kHighest 19% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$94Lowest 34% below VT	$1,100±$331Highest 11% below VT
	Reading 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	$5,754Highest 14% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±31.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Reading 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%	8.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1969Highest 7 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 33% above VT	33 minHighest 41% above VT
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.9%±10.6Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	—	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	—	None in town
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.