What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Royalton has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	Royalton
People
Population	809Lowest	2,752Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.7±5.8Lowest 3% below VT	43.9±10.1Highest about the VT average
	Royalton 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%	14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Orleans and Royalton 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%	22.1%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Royalton 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%	42.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	8%±4.2Highest VT: 7%
	Royalton 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	$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,300±$18kLowest 51% below VT	$263,200±$73kHighest 17% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$810±$94Lowest 34% below VT	$1,040±$391Highest 16% below VT
	Royalton 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	$4,675Highest 7% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.3%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	36.7%±16.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Royalton 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%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	63.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1965Highest 11 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 33% above VT	20 minLowest 13% below VT
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.8%±7.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Royalton and Orleans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	—	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	—	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.7
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.