What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k median).

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

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	Randolph	Colchester
People
Population	4,843Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.4±7.4Highest 6% below VT	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT
	Randolph and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Randolph and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8% VT: 43.8%	40.8% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±2.5Highest VT: 7%	10.9%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Randolph and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,758±$6kLowest 5% below VT	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$278,700±$38kLowest 12% below VT	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,172±$173Lowest 5% below VT	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,698Lowest 7% below VT	$5,471Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.8Highest VT: 48.4%	46.2%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Randolph and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 12% below VT	20 minLowest 15% below VT
Work from home	12.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Colchester and Randolph 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	#55 of 70 in VT	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Colchester School District
High school in town	Randolph Union High School	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	11.8Highest
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.