What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Haven has the most kids (17.5% 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	Waltham	West Haven
People
Population	452Highest	234Lowest
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	54±10.5Lowest 25% above VT
	Waltham and West Haven 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%	17.5%±13.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	West Haven 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%	29.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	0.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and West Haven 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	$85,250±$29kLowest 5% above VT
	Waltham and West Haven 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	$245,000±$34kLowest 23% below VT
	Waltham and West Haven 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	$4,485Lowest 11% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Highest VT: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Waltham and West Haven 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%	10.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	25 minLowest 8% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	10.4%±6.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and West Haven 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.