What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most kids (17.1% under 18).

Fairlee has the most people working from home (15%).

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	Fairlee
People
Population	573Lowest	1,066Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42±8Lowest about the VT average	56.2±8.7Highest 30% above VT
	Fairlee and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.6Highest VT: 17.9%	12.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Sheffield and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%	33.4%±5.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±4.7Highest VT: 7%	5.3%±3.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Sheffield and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,333±$26kLowest 28% below VT	$74,760±$10kHighest 8% below VT
	Fairlee and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$171,900±$50kLowest 46% below VT	$274,200±$39kHighest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$967±$79Lowest 22% below VT	$1,083±$242Highest 12% below VT
	Fairlee and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,123Lowest 58% below VT	$5,617Highest 11% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.5%±41.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	89.2%±71.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	80.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 28% above VT	24 minLowest 3% above VT
Work from home	6.1%±2.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	15%±7.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Fairlee and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64	Rivendell Interstate School District
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.