What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most people working from home (12.7%).

Wallingford has the most affordable homes ($262k 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	Sharon	Wallingford
People
Population	1,577Lowest	2,286Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.9%Highest VT: +2.8%	+2.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.6±7.7Lowest 6% above VT	45.9±10.8Highest 6% above VT
	Wallingford and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±5Highest VT: 17.9%	18.7%±5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Sharon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%	23.9%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Sharon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±0.9 VT: 7%	1.5%±1.1 VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,375±$17kHighest 4% above VT	$80,230±$15kLowest about the VT average
	Sharon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$346,700±$37kHighest 10% above VT	$261,900±$44kLowest 17% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,386±$155Highest 12% above VT	$891±$95Lowest 28% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,903Highest 17% above VT	$4,355Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	19.8%±17.9Highest VT: 48.4%	14.3%±13.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Sharon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	82.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% above VT	25 minLowest 6% above VT
Work from home	12.7%±3.7Highest VT: 16.9%	7.1%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Sharon and Wallingford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Sharon School District	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
High school in town	None 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.