What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

Athens has the most expensive homes ($240k 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	Sandgate	Athens
People
Population	435Highest	431Lowest
Median age	55.7±5.4Highest 29% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Sandgate and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±7.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Athens and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±11.3Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Sandgate and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.8%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
	Athens and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,167±$19kHighest 15% below VT	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT
	Sandgate and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$193,800±$31kLowest 39% below VT	$240,400±$32kHighest 24% below VT
	Athens and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$537 9% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,778Lowest 45% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 17 yrs older than VT	1973Highest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	34.6%±32.4Highest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Sandgate and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.