Compare towns
St. Albans vs Johnson vs Waterbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
St. Albans has the shortest commute (23 min average).
Johnson has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Waterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).
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 | St. Albans | Johnson | Waterbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 6,954Highest |
3,450Lowest |
5,405 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.6%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+1.3% VT: +2.8% |
+5.3%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 38.7±2 10% below VT |
30.9±6.5Lowest 28% below VT |
43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average |
| Waterbury 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%±3.7Lowest VT: 17.9% |
22.7%±5Highest VT: 17.9% |
21.9%±4.9 VT: 17.9% |
| Johnson and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 13.9%±2.5 VT: 21.4% |
10.8%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4% |
19.8%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Waterbury and St. Albans 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 VT: 43.8% |
32.2% VT: 43.8% |
54.2%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7% |
14.4%±2.1Highest VT: 7% |
3.4%±2.8 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $57,980±$7k 29% below VT |
$55,346±$14kLowest 32% below VT |
$103,917±$23kHighest 28% above VT |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $263,400±$18k 17% below VT |
$169,400±$62kLowest 46% below VT |
$447,200±$40kHighest 41% above VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT |
$948±$45Lowest 23% below VT |
$1,027±$535 17% below VT |
| St. Albans and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,436 12% below VT |
$3,310Lowest 34% below VT |
$6,435Highest 28% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4% |
51.6%±20.8 VT: 48.4% |
46.8%±21.7Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| St. Albans and Johnson 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% |
12.2% VT: 10.1% |
7.9%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 49%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
70.6%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT |
1980 4 yrs newer than VT |
1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 4% below VT |
33 minHighest 42% above VT |
30 min 28% above VT |
| Work from home | 12.1%±3.5 VT: 16.9% |
8.8%±4.6Lowest VT: 16.9% |
28.3%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #46 of 70 in VT | #57 of 70 in VT | #20 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 | Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A | Harwood Unified Union School District #60 |
| High school in town | Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans) | None in town | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4 |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.