What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pendleton has the most kids (21.6% under 18).

Middlebury has the most expensive homes ($410k median).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Pendleton	Middlebury
People
Population	7,034Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.1Highest 20% above U.S.	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.
Kids under 18	21.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	23%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pendleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$27kHighest 41% above U.S.	$86,169±$16kLowest 7% above U.S.
	Pendleton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,300±$39kLowest 12% below U.S.	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$119Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.
	Middlebury and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,623Lowest 112% above U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	6.6%±17.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±14.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 15% below U.S.	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Middlebury and Pendleton 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	#67 of 484 in NY	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.5Highest	12.6Lowest
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.