What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montpelier has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Montpelier
People
Population	9,084Highest	8,014Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average	42.3±2.4Lowest about the VT average
	Springfield and Montpelier 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%	17.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Springfield and Montpelier 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%	24.3%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Montpelier 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%	66.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%	5%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Montpelier 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	$81,030±$6kHighest about the VT average
	Montpelier 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	$375,100±$21kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT	$1,302±$113Highest 6% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 5% below VT	$6,936Highest 38% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Springfield and Montpelier 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%	6.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	53.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Highest 18 yrs older than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 16% above VT	18 minLowest 23% below VT
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.9%±5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 70 in VT	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	Springfield High School	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	10.4Lowest
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.