What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most affordable homes ($172k median).

Whiting has the most people working from home (10%).

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	Whiting
People
Population	573Highest	532Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	42±8Highest about the VT average	39.6±2.7Lowest 8% below VT
	Sheffield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.6Lowest VT: 17.9%	23.5%±6.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Whiting and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±4Highest VT: 21.4%	13%±5.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Sheffield and Whiting are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	25.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 7%	6.2%±4Highest VT: 7%
	Whiting and Sheffield 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	$91,250±$38kHighest 12% above VT
	Whiting 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	$280,400±$36kHighest 11% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$967±$79Lowest 22% below VT	$1,204±$519Highest about the VT average
	Whiting 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	$4,227Highest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.5%±41.2Highest VT: 48.4%	58.3%±37.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Sheffield and Whiting 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%	11.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	65.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 11 yrs newer than VT	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 28% above VT	22 minLowest 7% below VT
Work from home	6.1%±2.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	10%±5.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Whiting 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	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
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.