What stands out worked out from the figures below

Orwell has the most kids (21.8% under 18).

Royalton has the highest household income ($104k).

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	Orwell	Royalton
People
Population	1,294Lowest	2,752Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.5±7Highest 10% above VT	43.9±10.1Lowest about the VT average
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±6.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	42.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	8%±4.2Highest VT: 7%
	Royalton and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,417±$22kLowest 13% below VT	$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT
	Royalton and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT	$263,200±$73kLowest 17% below VT
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,105±$51Highest 10% below VT	$1,040±$391Lowest 16% below VT
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,914Lowest 22% below VT	$4,675Highest 7% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±35.9Highest VT: 48.4%	36.7%±16.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Orwell and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	13%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	63.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1965Lowest 11 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 15% above VT	20 minLowest 13% below VT
Work from home	13.3%±7.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.8%±7.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Royalton and Orwell 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	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	None in town	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	8.7
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.