What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most people working from home (20.6%).

Leicester has the youngest population (median age 48.8).

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	Leicester
People
Population	452Lowest	1,026Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-10% VT: +2.8%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	48.8±3.8Lowest 13% above VT
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.9%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Leicester 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%	24.5%±6.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest VT: 43.8%	35.9%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	1.3%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Leicester 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	$70,417±$30kLowest 13% below VT
	Waltham and Leicester 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	$309,700±$107kLowest about the VT average
	Waltham and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT	$1,098±$300Highest 11% below VT
	Leicester and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$3,822Lowest 24% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	33.3%±40.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Leicester 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%	11.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	85.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1981Lowest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 18% above VT	28 minHighest 20% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	12.7%±5.9Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and Leicester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.