What stands out worked out from the figures below

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Waterbury has the most people working from home (28.3%).

Cambridge has the most affordable homes ($343k 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	Cambridge
People
Population	5,405Highest	3,767Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	+4.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest about the VT average	37.4±1.8Lowest 13% below VT
Kids under 18	21.9%±4.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	23%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Cambridge and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4%	14.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Waterbury and Cambridge 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 VT: 43.8%	50.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.8Highest VT: 7%	1.9%±1.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Waterbury and Cambridge 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 28% above VT	$72,344±$19kLowest 11% below VT
	Waterbury and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$447,200±$40kHighest 41% above VT	$343,000±$38kLowest 8% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,027±$535Lowest 17% below VT	$1,183±$66Highest 4% below VT
	Cambridge and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,435Highest 28% above VT	$4,910Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.8%±21.7Lowest VT: 48.4%	66.6%±7.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Cambridge and Waterbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	70.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Lowest 7 yrs newer than VT	1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 28% above VT	32 minHighest 38% above VT
Work from home	28.3%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 70 in VT	#25 of 70 in VT
School district	Harwood Unified Union School District #60	Cambridge School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.