What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most people working from home (15.1%).

Hardwick has the highest household income ($92k).

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	Hardwick
People
Population	9,084Highest	2,965Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT
	Hardwick and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	15.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Springfield 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%	33.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	2.4%±2.4Highest VT: 7%
	Hardwick 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	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT
	Hardwick and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kHighest 39% below VT	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT
	Springfield and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Highest 22% below VT	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT
	Springfield and Hardwick 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	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%	48.6%±41.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Springfield and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 16% above VT	29 minHighest 23% above VT
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%	11.8%±6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield and Hardwick 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	#64 of 70 in VT	#68 of 70 in VT
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26
High school in town	Springfield High School	Hazen Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	8.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.