What stands out worked out from the figures below

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k median).

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Washburn	Westminster
People
Population	1,355Lowest	2,999Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.2±7.7Lowest 24% above U.S.	53.5±3.7Highest 38% above U.S.
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Washburn and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,196±$6kLowest 30% below U.S.	$71,491±$4kHighest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$112,900±$14kLowest 66% below U.S.	$273,800±$35kHighest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$482±$62Lowest 66% below U.S.	$916±$126Highest 35% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,571Lowest 50% below U.S.	$4,063Highest 30% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.2%±7.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#53 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 45/MSAD 45	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District
High school in town	Washburn District High School	Bellows Falls Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	10.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.