What stands out worked out from the figures below

Swanton has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Cabot 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	Swanton	Cabot
People
Population	2,670Highest	1,579Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+0.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.8±4.7Lowest 12% below VT	40.3±6.6Highest 6% below VT
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.3%±8.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	27.2%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±2.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	21%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%	44.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.7 VT: 7%	2.2%±1.6 VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,607±$27kLowest 18% below VT	$77,031±$16kHighest 5% below VT
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$229,000±$15kLowest 28% below VT	$268,500±$77kHighest 15% below VT
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,238±$103Lowest about the VT average	$1,243±$354Highest about the VT average
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,370Lowest 13% below VT	$4,639Highest 8% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.1%±21.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	44.1%±26.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Cabot and Swanton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	83.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 24 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 9% below VT	30 minHighest 27% above VT
Work from home	7.4%±4.8Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.4%±4.2Highest VT: 16.9%
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.