What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stamford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.5%).

Strafford has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Stamford	Strafford
People
Population	963Lowest	1,372Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.4±5.5Lowest 15% above VT	51.4±4.7Highest 19% above VT
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±3.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	23%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±3.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest VT: 43.8%	53.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.4Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±2.6Highest VT: 7%
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,646±$9kLowest 9% above VT	$110,833±$19kHighest 36% above VT
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$303,200±$25kLowest 4% below VT	$431,300±$40kHighest 36% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,583±$935Highest 28% above VT	$1,125±$789Lowest 9% below VT
	Stamford and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,113Lowest about the VT average	$7,149Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±48Highest VT: 48.4%
	Strafford and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	88.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980 4 yrs newer than VT	1980 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 30% above VT	23 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	8.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.1%±4.3Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Stamford School District	Strafford School District
High school in town	None 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.