What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hartford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.4%).

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	Hartford
People
Population	9,084Lowest	10,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.4%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7 about the VT average	43.2±3.9 about the VT average
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	18%±3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Hartford 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%	22.5%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Springfield and Hartford 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%	47.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±1.7Highest VT: 7%
	Hartford 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	$78,125±$7kHighest 4% below VT
	Hartford 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±$20kLowest 39% below VT	$304,500±$26kHighest 4% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT	$1,218±$118Highest about the VT average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 5% below VT	$5,773Highest 15% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±12.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Springfield and Hartford 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%	11.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	67.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT	1979Highest 3 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 16% above VT	18 minLowest 22% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9%	13.9%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Springfield and Hartford 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	#34 of 70 in VT
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Hartford School District
High school in town	Springfield High School	Hartford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	9.6Lowest
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.