What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Walden has the most people working from home (21.4%).

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	Walden
People
Population	963Lowest	1,037Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.5%Highest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.4±5.5Highest 15% above VT	48.8±3.2Lowest 13% above VT
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±3.4Highest VT: 17.9%	14.3%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.5%±2.3Highest VT: 21.4%	20.4%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Highest VT: 43.8%	26.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±3.4Highest VT: 7%	4%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,646±$9kHighest 9% above VT	$88,000±$15kLowest 8% above VT
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$303,200±$25kHighest 4% below VT	$238,900±$23kLowest 25% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,583±$935Highest 28% above VT	$900±$136Lowest 27% below VT
	Stamford and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,113Highest about the VT average	$3,944Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	28.6%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	56.3%±86.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Walden and Stamford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 30% above VT	26 minLowest 10% above VT
Work from home	8.1%±2.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.4%±6.7Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Stamford School District	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
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.