What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Johnsbury has the most renters (40.4% rent).

Waterford has the highest household income ($109k).

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	Waterford
People
Population	7,368Highest	1,279Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.8±3.8Lowest about the VT average	45.4±5.3Highest 5% above VT
	Waterford and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9%	16.7%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	St. Johnsbury and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.1%±3.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.4%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Waterford and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±2.2Highest VT: 7%	2%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,738±$9kLowest 29% below VT	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$177,700±$17kLowest 44% below VT	$271,500±$22kHighest 14% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$914±$44 26% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,916Lowest 22% below VT	$4,238Highest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±11 VT: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	16.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%	99%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 32 yrs older than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 17% below VT	24 minHighest 4% above VT
Work from home	17.6%±4.8Highest VT: 16.9%	15.3%±7.8Lowest VT: 16.9%
	St. Johnsbury and Waterford 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	—
School district	—	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	—	None in town
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.