What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

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	St. Albans	Hardwick
People
Population	6,954Highest	2,965Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT
	Hardwick and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%	15.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	St. Albans and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	St. Albans and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 29% below VT	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 17% below VT	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT
	St. Albans and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Highest 12% below VT	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4%	48.6%±41.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	St. Albans and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest VT: 73.2%	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 4% below VT	29 minHighest 23% above VT
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Highest VT: 16.9%	11.8%±6Lowest VT: 16.9%
	St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT	#68 of 70 in VT
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Hazen Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	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.