What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pownal has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Shelburne has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Pownal	Shelburne
People
Population	3,265Lowest	7,969Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49±9.1Lowest 14% above VT	50.9±3.2Highest 18% above VT
	Shelburne and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±5.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.2%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Shelburne and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Shelburne and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%	70.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	4.7%±2.9Highest VT: 7%
	Shelburne and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,163±$21kLowest 21% below VT	$115,963±$16kHighest 43% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,600±$32kLowest 19% below VT	$588,100±$44kHighest 86% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$944±$139Lowest 24% below VT	$1,442±$589Highest 17% above VT
	Shelburne and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,560Lowest 29% below VT	$8,173Highest 62% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.4%±18.5Highest VT: 48.4%	43.7%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Pownal and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	8.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	69.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 7 yrs older than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 10% below VT	20 minLowest 14% below VT
Work from home	16.4%±6.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	31.4%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#67 of 70 in VT	#8 of 70 in VT
School district	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.