What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Montpelier has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.8%).

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	Montpelier
People
Population	6,954Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT	42.3±2.4Highest about the VT average
	Montpelier 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%	17.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	St. Albans and Montpelier 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%	24.3%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	5%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Montpelier and St. Albans 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	$81,030±$6kHighest about the VT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 17% below VT	$375,100±$21kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 7% below VT	$1,302±$113Highest 6% above VT
	Montpelier and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 12% below VT	$6,936Highest 38% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	St. Albans and Montpelier 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%	6.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest VT: 73.2%	53.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT	1955Highest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 4% below VT	18 minLowest 23% below VT
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.9%±5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 70 in VT	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	10.4Lowest
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.