What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelburne has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

Wardsboro has the most affordable homes ($299k 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	Wardsboro
People
Population	7,969Highest	820Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.9±3.2Lowest 18% above VT	51.6±7.3Highest 20% above VT
	Wardsboro 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%	18.8%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Shelburne and Wardsboro 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%	27.4%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Shelburne and Wardsboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	38.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.9Highest VT: 7%	0.9%±0.9Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,963±$16kHighest 43% above VT	$62,000±$6kLowest 24% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$588,100±$44kHighest 86% above VT	$299,300±$47kLowest 5% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,442±$589Lowest 17% above VT	$1,479±$224Highest 20% above VT
	Wardsboro and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,173Highest 62% above VT	$4,345Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.7%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	54.5%±58Highest VT: 48.4%
	Wardsboro and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	7.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 14% below VT	27 minHighest 14% above VT
Work from home	31.4%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#8 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	River Valleys Unified School District #73
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.