What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has the most people working from home (20.5%).

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	Windham
People
Population	3,607Highest	594Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.2% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	43±6.6Lowest about the VT average	44.2±7.4Highest about the VT average
	Windham 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%	17.5%±7.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Shaftsbury and Windham 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%	23.2%±8.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Windham 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%	48.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	0.8%±1.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Shaftsbury and Windham 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	$94,500±$12kHighest 16% above VT
	Windham 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	$353,900±$20kHighest 12% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,079±$54 13% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,015Lowest 20% below VT	$5,951Highest 18% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.7%±36Highest VT: 48.4%	41.2%±94Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Shaftsbury and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	9.9%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	82.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% above VT	27 minHighest 14% above VT
Work from home	7.2%±5.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.5%±5.6Highest 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	—
High school 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.