What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stowe has the most expensive homes ($648k median).

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	Stowe
People
Population	452Lowest	5,285Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+21.1% VT: +2.8%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	46.3±7.6Lowest 7% above VT
	Waltham and Stowe 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%	22.5%±4.6Highest VT: 17.9%
	Stowe 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%	25.8%±6.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	1.6%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Stowe 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	$93,618±$33kLowest 15% above VT
	Waltham and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT	$647,800±$157kHighest 105% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT	$1,458±$242Highest 18% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Lowest 13% above VT	$7,161Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Highest VT: 48.4%	24.5%±15.9Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Waltham and Stowe 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%	9.9%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	78.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1982Lowest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	19 minLowest 18% below VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	24.4%±8.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Stowe and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	—	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.3
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.