What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ripton has the most people working from home (17.2%).

Jacksonville has the most affordable homes ($223k 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	Jacksonville
People
Population	508Highest	106Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+25.7% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	47.7±14.2Lowest 11% above VT	50.6±12.1Highest 17% above VT
	Jacksonville 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%	6.6%±26.1Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ripton and Jacksonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±23.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Ripton and Jacksonville 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%	19.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%	0%±13.3Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT	$83,281±$30kLowest about the VT average
	Ripton and Jacksonville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT	$223,400±$61kLowest 29% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,915Highest about the VT average	$3,795Lowest 25% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±100 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	3.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	100%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT	1950Lowest 26 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest about the VT average	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	17.2%±8.7Highest VT: 16.9%	8.2%±10.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Ripton and Jacksonville 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	—
High school 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.