What stands out worked out from the figures below

Paxton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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	Paxton	Ripton
People
Population	5,002Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±3.3Lowest 7% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Highest 23% above U.S.
	Ripton and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Paxton and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	48%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.9%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ripton and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,083±$8kHighest 66% above U.S.	$112,917±$15kLowest 40% above U.S.
	Paxton and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,300±$29kHighest 42% above U.S.	$394,400±$61kLowest 19% above U.S.
	Paxton and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,386±$88 about the U.S. average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,129Highest 129% above U.S.	$4,915Lowest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.2%±15.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	25.5%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Paxton and Ripton 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	#219 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Wachusett	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.