What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pownal has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Walden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Walden
People
Population	3,265Highest	1,037Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49±9.1Highest 14% above VT	48.8±3.2Lowest 13% above VT
	Pownal and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%	14.3%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Pownal and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.5%±6.3Highest VT: 21.4%	20.4%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Pownal and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	26.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	4%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Walden 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	$88,000±$15kHighest 8% above VT
	Walden and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,600±$32kHighest 19% below VT	$238,900±$23kLowest 25% below VT
	Pownal and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$944±$139Highest 24% below VT	$900±$136Lowest 27% below VT
	Pownal and Walden 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	$3,944Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.4%±18.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	56.3%±86.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Walden and Pownal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 7 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 10% below VT	26 minHighest 10% above VT
Work from home	16.4%±6.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.4%±6.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Walden and Pownal 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 70 in VT	—
School district	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
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.