What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Wells
People
Population	2,752Lowest	11,713Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+18%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.	53.6±3.8Highest 38% above U.S.
	Wells and Royalton 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%	18%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Wells 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 U.S.: 17.2%	31%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wells 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 U.S.: 35.7%	43.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton and Wells 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.	$88,024±$11kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Royalton and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.	$485,300±$23kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,350±$297Highest 4% below U.S.
	Wells 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.	$3,215Lowest 3% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42.1%±19.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Wells and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	28 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±7.3 U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±4.2 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 70 in VT	#22 of 133 in ME
School district	White River Unified School District #79	Wells-Ogunquit CSD
High school in town	White River Valley High School	Wells High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.7Lowest	11.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.