What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

Charleston has the most affordable homes ($238k median).

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	Ripton	Charleston
People
Population	508Lowest	936Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.7±14.2Lowest 11% above VT	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT
	Charleston and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±6.3Highest VT: 17.9%	11.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ripton and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Charleston and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48%Highest VT: 43.8%	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%	3.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT	$238,000±$53kLowest 25% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$979±$444 21% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,915Highest about the VT average	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±100Highest VT: 48.4%	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Ripton and Charleston 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%	12.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	87.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	26 minHighest 12% above VT
Work from home	17.2%±8.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.7%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Charleston and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55	Charleston School District
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.