What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($123k median).

Burke has the most expensive homes ($341k 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	Sheffield	Burke
People
Population	190Lowest	1,317Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-5.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	32.5±2.3Lowest 25% below VT	41.1±4.8Highest 5% below VT
Kids under 18	34.7%±13.7Highest VT: 17.9%	23%±4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Sheffield and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.2%±14Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.7%±2.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Burke and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±5.8Lowest VT: 7%	3.6%±2.3Highest VT: 7%
	Burke and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,795±$12kLowest 19% below VT	$87,143±$17kHighest 7% above VT
	Burke and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$122,700±$70kLowest 61% below VT	$340,600±$18kHighest 8% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,219±$563Highest about the VT average	$938±$191Lowest 24% below VT
	Sheffield and Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,714Lowest 66% below VT	$5,177Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	74.6%±31Highest VT: 48.4%
	Burke and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.6%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 12% below VT	25 minHighest 8% above VT
Work from home	8.6%±6.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	23.4%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	—	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
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.