What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rockingham has the most kids (19.2% under 18).

Fairlee has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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	Rockingham	Fairlee
People
Population	4,807Highest	1,066Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±2.6Lowest 8% above VT	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT
	Fairlee and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%	12.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Rockingham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.8%±5Lowest VT: 21.4%	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	5.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Rockingham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,857±$16kLowest 13% below VT	$74,760±$10kHighest 8% below VT
	Fairlee and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,900±$14kLowest 33% below VT	$274,200±$39kHighest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,062±$101Lowest 14% below VT	$1,083±$242Highest 12% below VT
	Fairlee and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,887Lowest 3% below VT	$5,617Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.7%±13.7Lowest VT: 48.4%	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Rockingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.7%Highest VT: 10.1%	14.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 16% below VT	24 minHighest 3% above VT
Work from home	17.9%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9%	15%±7.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Rockingham and Fairlee 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	#65 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Rockingham School District	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.