What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most kids (20.5% under 18).

Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	St. Albans	Durham
People
Population	6,954Lowest	15,080Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Highest about the U.S. average	20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	St. Albans and Durham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$124,056±$21kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$504,300±$41kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,429±$143Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.4%±16Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Durham and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	15.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	64.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 70 in VT	#9 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Oyster River High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	51 photos →

U.S. 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.