What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($274k 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	Fairlee
People
Population	508Lowest	1,066Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.7±14.2Lowest 11% above VT	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT
	Fairlee and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±6.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	12.2%±4.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Fairlee and Ripton 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%	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee 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%	46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%	5.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT	$74,760±$10kLowest 8% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT	$274,200±$39kLowest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,083±$242 12% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,915Lowest about the VT average	$5,617Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Ripton 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%	14.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	24 minHighest 3% above VT
Work from home	17.2%±8.7Highest VT: 16.9%	15%±7.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Ripton and Fairlee 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	Rivendell Interstate 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.