What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelburne has the most expensive homes ($588k median).

Jay has the most affordable homes ($234k 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	Shelburne	Jay
People
Population	7,969Highest	471Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest VT: +2.8%	+5.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.9±3.2Lowest 18% above VT	52.1±10.5Highest 21% above VT
	Jay and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.2%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	14.2%±7.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Shelburne and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	15.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	45.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	1.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Shelburne and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,963±$16kHighest 43% above VT	$74,792±$25kLowest 8% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$588,100±$44kHighest 86% above VT	$234,200±$45kLowest 26% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,442±$589 17% above VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,173Highest 62% above VT	$3,588Lowest 29% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±10.6Highest VT: 48.4%	40%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Shelburne and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	8.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	97%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 10 yrs newer than VT	2001Highest 25 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 14% below VT	40 minHighest 69% above VT
Work from home	31.4%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±13.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Shelburne and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary 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.