What stands out worked out from the figures below

Smithville has the most affordable homes ($173k median).

Castleton has the most people working from home (6.2%).

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	Smithville	Castleton
People
Population	1,525Lowest	4,453Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±3.2Highest 11% above U.S.	38.3±4.3Lowest about the U.S. average
	Smithville and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.8%±6.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.1%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.7%±4.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	37.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	19.3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,433±$7kLowest 13% below U.S.	$73,854±$23kHighest 9% below U.S.
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$173,200±$42kLowest 48% below U.S.	$224,800±$71kHighest 32% below U.S.
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$889±$186Lowest 37% below U.S.	$1,137±$195Highest 20% below U.S.
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,254Highest 36% above U.S.	$3,167Lowest about the U.S. average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.9%±31.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.7%±21.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Castleton and Smithville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	6.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Castleton and Smithville 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	—	#39 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	—	None in town
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.