What stands out worked out from the figures below

Poultney has the most affordable homes ($206k median).

Northfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (-4.7%).

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	Poultney	Northfield
People
Population	3,010Lowest	5,920Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	34±5.6Lowest 21% below VT	36.4±4.1Highest 16% below VT
	Northfield and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Poultney and Northfield 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%±3.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Poultney and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest VT: 43.8%	34.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.3%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	15.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,617±$6kHighest 11% below VT	$71,768±$13kLowest 12% below VT
	Poultney and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$206,200±$18kLowest 35% below VT	$274,400±$21kHighest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$913±$84Lowest 26% below VT	$1,018±$207Highest 18% below VT
	Northfield and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,520Lowest 30% below VT	$4,878Highest 3% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±17.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±17.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Northfield and Poultney 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%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	73.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 8 yrs older than VT	1956Lowest 20 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 24% above VT	27 minLowest 16% above VT
Work from home	11.3%±4.4Lowest VT: 16.9%	12.1%±4.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Northfield and Poultney 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	#42 of 70 in VT
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	Paine Mountain Union School District #68
High school in town	Poultney High School	Northfield Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Highest	10.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.