What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

Marshfield has the most kids (24.2% 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	Walden	Marshfield
People
Population	1,037Lowest	1,863Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	48.8±3.2Highest 13% above VT	38.7±6.1Lowest 10% below VT
Kids under 18	14.3%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	24.2%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	20.4%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%	17.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Walden and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%	38.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2.7%±1.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Walden and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,000±$15kHighest 8% above VT	$60,313±$10kLowest 26% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$238,900±$23kHighest 25% below VT	$214,100±$37kLowest 32% below VT
	Walden and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$136Lowest 27% below VT	$1,317±$126Highest 7% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,944Highest 22% below VT	$3,668Lowest 27% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.3%±86.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	65.7%±73.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 10% above VT	29 minHighest 23% above VT
Work from home	21.4%±6.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.5%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Marshfield and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78	—
High school 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.