What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Ira has the most expensive homes ($273k 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	Ira
People
Population	435Highest	381Lowest
Median age	55.7±5.4Highest 29% above VT	54.1±5.5Lowest 26% above VT
	Sandgate and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.1%±7.5Highest VT: 17.9%	10.5%±4.7Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Sandgate and Ira are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±11.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	28.9%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Ira and Sandgate 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%	37.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±3.5Highest VT: 7%
	Ira 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±$19kLowest 15% below VT	$71,827±$5kHighest 12% below VT
	Ira and Sandgate 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	$272,900±$18kHighest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$942±$52 24% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,778Lowest 45% below VT	$4,146Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	36.4%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ira 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%	14.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 17 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% above VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	34.6%±32.4Highest VT: 16.9%	2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Sandgate and Ira 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.