What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shrewsbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.8%).

Waterford has the highest household income ($109k).

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	Shrewsbury	Waterford
People
Population	1,237Lowest	1,279Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.3±5.6Lowest about the VT average	45.4±5.3Highest 5% above VT
	Waterford and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.1%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%	16.7%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	21.9%±5.7Highest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Shrewsbury and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41% VT: 43.8%	41% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Shrewsbury and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,250±$23kLowest 12% above VT	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above VT
	Waterford and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$331,900±$52kHighest 5% above VT	$271,500±$22kLowest 14% below VT
	Shrewsbury and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,438±$380 17% above VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,350Highest 6% above VT	$4,238Lowest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	71.4%±100 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	7% VT: 10.1%	7% VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	99%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 11% above VT	24 minLowest 4% above VT
Work from home	15.7%±4.9Highest VT: 16.9%	15.3%±7.8Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Shrewsbury and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mill River Unified Union School District #52	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
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.