What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shaftsbury has the most kids (26.5% under 18).

Dummerston has the most people working from home (25.9%).

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	Shaftsbury	Dummerston
People
Population	3,607Highest	2,090Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	+0.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43±6.6Lowest about the VT average	45.6±11.7Highest 6% above VT
	Dummerston and Shaftsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.5%±6.3Highest VT: 17.9%	21.7%±6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Shaftsbury and Dummerston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.8%±4.8Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.3%±3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Dummerston and Shaftsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%	58.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	1.3%±1.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Shaftsbury and Dummerston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,071±$24kLowest 6% above VT	$101,696±$21kHighest 25% above VT
	Dummerston and Shaftsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$267,300±$24kLowest 16% below VT	$335,300±$22kHighest 6% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,079±$54Lowest 13% below VT	$1,392±$126Highest 13% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,015Lowest 20% below VT	$4,536Highest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.7%±36Highest VT: 48.4%	44.1%±32.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Shaftsbury and Dummerston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest VT: 10.1%	4.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	92.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 5% above VT	21 minLowest 11% below VT
Work from home	7.2%±5.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	25.9%±10.3Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#62 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.