What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	3,010Lowest	19,188Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-12%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	34±5.6Lowest 13% below U.S.	41.8±1.8Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,617±$6kLowest 10% below U.S.	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$206,200±$18kLowest 38% below U.S.	$388,900±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$913±$84Lowest 35% below U.S.	$1,232±$332Highest 13% below U.S.
	Windham and Poultney are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,520Lowest 13% above U.S.	$3,938Highest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±17.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Poultney and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	11.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham 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	#95 of 133 in ME
School district	Quarry Valley Unified Union School District #70	RSU 14
High school in town	Poultney High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	12.1Highest
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.