What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterbury has the most kids (21.9% under 18).

Albany has the most affordable homes ($248k 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	Waterbury	Albany
People
Population	5,405Highest	790Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Lowest 11% above U.S.	46.5±9.7Highest 20% above U.S.
	Albany and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%	11.3%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.8%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Waterbury and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Albany and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,917±$23kHighest 29% above U.S.	$67,639±$19kLowest 16% below U.S.
	Waterbury and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$447,200±$40kHighest 34% above U.S.	$248,300±$68kLowest 25% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,027±$535Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,194±$112Highest 15% below U.S.
	Albany and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,435Highest 106% above U.S.	$2,554Lowest 18% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±21.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.2%±97.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waterbury and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	28.3%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±18.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waterbury and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Harwood Unified Union School District #60	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.