What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oswego has the most affordable homes ($121k median).

Royalton has the most expensive homes ($263k median).

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	Oswego	Royalton
People
Population	17,033Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35.7±1.6Lowest 8% below U.S.	43.9±10.1Highest 13% above U.S.
	Royalton and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oswego and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oswego and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,172±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.	$103,938±$24kHighest 29% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$120,600±$7kLowest 64% below U.S.	$263,200±$73kHighest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$72Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Oswego and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,362Lowest 8% above U.S.	$4,675Highest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	20 minHighest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	8.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Royalton and Oswego 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	#285 of 484 in NY	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	OSWEGO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	OSWEGO HIGH SCHOOL	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.