What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Johnsbury has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Kirby has the most expensive homes ($303k median).

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. Johnsbury	Kirby
People
Population	5,859Highest	756Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.2% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	42.6±4.5Highest about the VT average	38.8±7.1Lowest 10% below VT
	St. Johnsbury and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±3.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	30%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%	19.2%±5.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	St. Johnsbury and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	32.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±2.6Highest VT: 7%	4.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	St. Johnsbury and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$53,711±$8kLowest 34% below VT	$54,792±$21kHighest 33% below VT
	Kirby and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$174,500±$17kLowest 45% below VT	$302,900±$63kHighest 4% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$912±$45Lowest 26% below VT	$1,250±$326Highest about the VT average
	Kirby and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,778Lowest 25% below VT	$4,597Highest 9% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±11.6Highest VT: 48.4%	25%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	St. Johnsbury and Kirby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	21.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 18% below VT	34 minHighest 43% above VT
Work from home	17.6%±5Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±9.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Kirby and St. Johnsbury 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	#60 of 70 in VT	—
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.