What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most expensive homes ($330k median).

Jay has the most people working from home (27.3%).

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	Waltham	Jay
People
Population	452Lowest	471Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	52.1±10.5Lowest 21% above VT
	Waltham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.2%±7.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Jay and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	15.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	45.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	1.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT	$74,792±$25kLowest 8% below VT
	Waltham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT	$234,200±$45kLowest 26% below VT
	Waltham and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113 11% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$3,588Lowest 29% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	40%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Jay and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	8.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	97%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Lowest 10 yrs newer than VT	2001Highest 25 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	40 minHighest 69% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±13.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Jay and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.