What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

Royalton has the most affordable homes ($263k 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	Sutton	Royalton
People
Population	9,452Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	43.9±10.1Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Sutton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	14.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±6.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Royalton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8%±4.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Royalton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.	$103,938±$24kLowest 29% above U.S.
	Sutton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.	$263,200±$73kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Highest 16% below U.S.	$1,040±$391Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Sutton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,763Highest 117% above U.S.	$4,675Lowest 50% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	36.7%±16.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.8%±7.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Royalton 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	#105 of 282 in MA	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Sutton	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Sutton High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	8.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.