What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Keene has the highest household income ($78k).

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	Keene
People
Population	6,954Lowest	22,939Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Highest about the U.S. average	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.
	St. Albans and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$78,445±$8kHighest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kHighest 21% below U.S.	$252,500±$12kLowest 24% below U.S.
	St. Albans and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$6,812Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	St. Albans and Keene 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%	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	55.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Keene and St. Albans 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	#81 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Keene School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Keene High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.