What stands out worked out from the figures below

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Montpelier has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Royalton	Montpelier
People
Population	2,752Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.9±10.1Highest about the VT average	42.3±2.4Lowest about the VT average
	Royalton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%	17.9%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Montpelier and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±6.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.3%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Montpelier and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8%±4.2Highest VT: 7%	5%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Royalton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT	$81,030±$6kLowest about the VT average
	Royalton and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,200±$73kLowest 17% below VT	$375,100±$21kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,040±$391Lowest 16% below VT	$1,302±$113Highest 6% above VT
	Montpelier and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,675Lowest 7% below VT	$6,936Highest 38% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.7%±16.1Lowest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%
	Montpelier and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Highest VT: 73.2%	53.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 11 yrs older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 13% below VT	18 minLowest 23% below VT
Work from home	17.8%±7.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.9%±5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Montpelier and Royalton 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	#48 of 70 in VT	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	White River Valley High School	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	10.4Highest
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.