What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pendleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

Richford has the most affordable homes ($177k 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	Pendleton	Richford
People
Population	7,034Highest	2,467Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.1Highest 20% above U.S.	39±3.6Lowest about the U.S. average
	Pendleton and Richford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Richford and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.4%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Richford and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Richford and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,750±$27kHighest 41% above U.S.	$56,853±$13kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$294,300±$39kHighest 12% below U.S.	$176,600±$16kLowest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$994±$119Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,160±$66Highest 18% below U.S.
	Richford and Pendleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,623Highest 112% above U.S.	$3,300Lowest 6% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	6.6%±17.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.1%±15.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.8%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Pendleton and Richford 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	—
School district	STARPOINT CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Enosburgh-Richford Unified Union School District #88
High school in town	STARPOINT HIGH SCHOOL	Richford Junior/Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.5Highest	9.1Lowest
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.