What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheldon has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Orwell has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.9%).

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	Sheldon	Orwell
People
Population	2,267Highest	1,294Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40.9±3.5Lowest 5% below VT	47.5±7Highest 10% above VT
	Orwell and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.7%±3.6Highest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±5.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Sheldon and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	12.6%±2.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	24%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	14.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	22.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Orwell and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,533±$25kHighest 3% below VT	$70,417±$22kLowest 13% below VT
	Sheldon and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$272,400±$61kLowest 14% below VT	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT
	Orwell and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,286±$379Highest 4% above VT	$1,105±$51Lowest 10% below VT
	Sheldon and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,578Lowest 29% below VT	$3,914Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±27Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.1%±35.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Orwell and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest VT: 73.2%	87.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT	1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 7% above VT	27 minHighest 15% above VT
Work from home	13%±3.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±7.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Orwell and Sheldon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
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.