What stands out worked out from the figures below

Unity has the most affordable homes ($276k median).

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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	Unity	Ripton
People
Population	1,375Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+25.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	58±4.5Highest 49% above U.S.	47.7±14.2Lowest 23% above U.S.
	Unity and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%	11.8%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Unity and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.9%±7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	30.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Unity and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	20.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$87,500±$16kLowest 8% above U.S.	$112,917±$15kHighest 40% above U.S.
	Ripton and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$276,100±$29kLowest 17% below U.S.	$394,400±$61kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,625±$804 15% above U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,394Highest 73% above U.S.	$4,915Lowest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.9%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ripton and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	90.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 32% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	9.5%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.2%±8.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Ripton and Unity are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Unity School District	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.