What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waitsfield has the most expensive homes ($453k median).

West Burke has the most kids (11.8% under 18).

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	Waitsfield	West Burke
People
Population	193Highest	161Lowest
Median age	74.8±13.4Highest 74% above VT	59.2±16.3Lowest 37% above VT
	Waitsfield and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	0%±14.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	11.8%±10.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	West Burke and Waitsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	71.5%±17.2Highest VT: 21.4%	31.1%±13.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	71.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	28.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±9.1Highest VT: 7%	5%±3.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Waitsfield and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$26,384±$5kLowest 68% below VT	$27,321±$15kHighest 66% below VT
	West Burke and Waitsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$453,100±$98kHighest 43% above VT	$275,000±$60kLowest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$525±$373 57% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,688Highest 7% below VT	$3,194Lowest 37% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±49.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	77.8%±31.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	West Burke and Waitsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%	20.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	33.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%	61.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 40% below VT	25 minHighest 7% above VT
Work from home	31%±23.9Highest VT: 16.9%	20%±10.4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waitsfield and West Burke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.