What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Orwell has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Orwell
People
Population	1,059Lowest	1,294Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	41.2±2.6Lowest 4% below VT	47.5±7Highest 10% above VT
	Orwell and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±4.6Highest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±5.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Ryegate and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±1.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	24%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Orwell and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Orwell 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±$15kLowest 18% below VT	$70,417±$22kHighest 13% below VT
	Orwell and Ryegate 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	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$908±$236Lowest 26% below VT	$1,105±$51Highest 10% below VT
	Orwell 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	$3,914Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±29.7Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.1%±35.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Orwell and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1949Lowest 27 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	27 minLowest 15% above VT
Work from home	8.2%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±7.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Orwell and Ryegate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	—	None in town
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.