Compare towns
Poultney vs Castleton vs Johnson
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Poultney has the most people working from home (11.3%).
Castleton has the shortest commute (19 min average).
Johnson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.3%).
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.
| Measure | Poultney | Castleton | Johnson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 3,010Lowest |
4,453Highest |
3,450 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -12%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-5.5% VT: +2.8% |
+1.3%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 34±5.6 21% below VT |
38.3±4.3Highest 11% below VT |
30.9±6.5Lowest 28% below VT |
| Castleton and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.8%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
18.8%±6.4 VT: 17.9% |
22.7%±5Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Johnson and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.8%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4% |
20.7%±4.6 VT: 21.4% |
10.8%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Poultney and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.5% VT: 43.8% |
37.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
32.2%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 9.3%±2.3Lowest VT: 7% |
19.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7% |
14.4%±2.1 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $72,617±$6k 11% below VT |
$73,854±$23kHighest 9% below VT |
$55,346±$14kLowest 32% below VT |
| Castleton and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $206,200±$18k 35% below VT |
$224,800±$71kHighest 29% below VT |
$169,400±$62kLowest 46% below VT |
| Castleton and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $913±$84Lowest 26% below VT |
$1,137±$195Highest 8% below VT |
$948±$45 23% below VT |
| Castleton and Johnson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,520Highest 30% below VT |
$3,167Lowest 37% below VT |
$3,310 34% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.3%±17.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
67.7%±21.9Highest VT: 48.4% |
51.6%±20.8 VT: 48.4% |
| Castleton and Johnson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 8.9%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
12.5%Highest VT: 10.1% |
12.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 71.3% VT: 73.2% |
79%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1968Lowest 8 yrs older than VT |
1974 2 yrs older than VT |
1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 29 min 24% above VT |
19 minLowest 17% below VT |
33 minHighest 42% above VT |
| Work from home | 11.3%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
6.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 16.9% |
8.8%±4.6 VT: 16.9% |
| Poultney and Johnson 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 | #41 of 70 in VT | #39 of 70 in VT | #57 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70 | Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62 | Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A |
| High school in town | Poultney High School | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.5 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.