What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rutland has the shortest commute (16 min average).

Springfield has the most people working from home (15.1%).

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	Rutland	Springfield
People
Population	15,712Highest	9,084Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49±2.1Highest 14% above VT	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average
	Rutland and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Rutland and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%	2.3%±1.4Highest VT: 7%
	Springfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT	$66,571±$13kHighest 18% below VT
	Springfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,500±$16kLowest 41% below VT	$192,400±$20kHighest 39% below VT
	Springfield and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$995±$65Highest 19% below VT	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT
	Rutland and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,657Lowest 8% below VT	$4,807Highest 5% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±8.2Highest VT: 48.4%	49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Rutland and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	14.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	67.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1958Highest 18 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 32% below VT	27 minHighest 16% above VT
Work from home	8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield and Rutland 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	#51 of 70 in VT	#64 of 70 in VT
School district	Rutland City School District	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District
High school in town	Rutland Senior High School	Springfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Lowest	14.3Highest
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.