What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Springfield	Arlington
People
Population	9,084Highest	2,598Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT
	Springfield and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Arlington and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Highest VT: 21.4%	20.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Springfield and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.3%±1.7Highest VT: 7%
	Arlington and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below VT	$102,308±$11kHighest 26% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT
	Arlington and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Highest 5% below VT	$4,549Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 16% above VT	20 minLowest 13% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 70 in VT	#50 of 70 in VT
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Arlington School District
High school in town	Springfield High School	Arlington Memorial
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.6Lowest
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.