What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Oswego has the most affordable homes ($121k 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	Royalton	Oswego
People
Population	2,752Lowest	17,033Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.9±10.1Highest 13% above U.S.	35.7±1.6Lowest 8% below U.S.
	Royalton and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oswego and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton and Oswego are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	10.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oswego and Royalton 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 29% above U.S.	$53,172±$4kLowest 34% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,200±$73kHighest 21% below U.S.	$120,600±$7kLowest 64% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,109±$72Highest 22% below U.S.
	Oswego and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,675Highest 50% above U.S.	$3,362Lowest 8% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	60.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	20.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 23% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±7.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.6%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Royalton and Oswego 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	#285 of 484 in NY
School district	White River Unified School District #79	OSWEGO CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	White River Valley High School	OSWEGO HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	12.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.