What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelburne has the shortest commute (25 min average).

Belvidere has the most kids (22% under 18).

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	Shelburne	Belvidere
People
Population	530Highest	422Lowest
Median age	50.3±11Highest 29% above U.S.	40.7±6.5Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Shelburne and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	31.7%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	8.8%±4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Shelburne and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$18kHighest 15% above U.S.	$81,563±$18kLowest about the U.S. average
	Shelburne and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$280,200±$45kHighest 16% below U.S.	$239,200±$51kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Shelburne and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,130±$62Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,542±$1kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Belvidere and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,801Lowest 22% above U.S.	$3,908Highest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	10%±70.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.7%±53.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Belvidere and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5% U.S.: 12.5%	5.5% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1989Highest 9 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	38 minHighest 42% above U.S.
Work from home	9.3%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Belvidere and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.