Compare towns
Springfield vs Putney vs Middlebury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Putney has the most homeowners (72.8%).
Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).
Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Springfield | Putney | Middlebury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 9,084 |
2,622Lowest |
9,175Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.3%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-3.1% VT: +2.8% |
+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average |
37.2±5.2 14% below VT |
31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT |
| Springfield and Putney 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% |
15.4%±4.1 VT: 17.9% |
11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| Springfield and Putney 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% |
18.1%±3.8Lowest VT: 21.4% |
20.7%±2.6 VT: 21.4% |
| Springfield and Middlebury 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% |
48.6% VT: 43.8% |
55.4%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7% |
20.4%±3.4 VT: 7% |
32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $66,571±$13kLowest 18% below VT |
$79,706±$18k about the VT average |
$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT |
| Middlebury and Putney 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 |
$300,000±$44k 5% below VT |
$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $963±$100 22% below VT |
$508±$482Lowest 59% below VT |
$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT |
| Middlebury and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,807Lowest 5% below VT |
$5,313 5% above VT |
$6,868Highest 36% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 49.6%±15.6Lowest VT: 48.4% |
54.2%±19.4Highest VT: 48.4% |
50.9%±14.4 VT: 48.4% |
| Putney and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 14.8% VT: 10.1% |
16%Highest VT: 10.1% |
10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 67.7% VT: 73.2% |
72.8%Highest VT: 73.2% |
65.1%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Lowest 18 yrs older than VT |
1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT |
1976 same as VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 27 minHighest 16% above VT |
18 min 24% below VT |
16 minLowest 33% below VT |
| Work from home | 15.1%±5.5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
16.9%±6.5 VT: 16.9% |
18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Middlebury and Putney 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 | #32 of 70 in VT | #17 of 70 in VT |
| School district | River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55 |
| High school in town | Springfield High School | None in town | Middlebury Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 14.3Highest |
— | 12.6Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 6 photos → | 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.