What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ryegate has the most affordable homes ($219k median).

Kirby has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	Ryegate	Kirby
People
Population	1,059Highest	756Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	41.2±2.6Highest 4% below VT	38.8±7.1Lowest 10% below VT
	Ryegate and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.6Lowest VT: 17.9%	30%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Kirby and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±1.5Highest VT: 21.4%	19.2%±5.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Ryegate and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	32.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	4.6%±3.1Highest VT: 7%
	Kirby and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,484±$15kHighest 18% below VT	$54,792±$21kLowest 33% below VT
	Ryegate and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$219,300±$32kLowest 31% below VT	$302,900±$63kHighest 4% below VT
	Kirby and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$908±$236Lowest 26% below VT	$1,250±$326Highest about the VT average
	Kirby and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,472Lowest 31% below VT	$4,597Highest 9% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±29.7Highest VT: 48.4%	25%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Ryegate and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	21.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1949Lowest 27 yrs older than VT	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	34 minHighest 43% above VT
Work from home	8.2%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±9.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Kirby and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.