What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterford has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Wells has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.6%).

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	Waterford	Wells
People
Population	1,279Highest	1,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.4±5.3Lowest 5% above VT	50.7±5.2Highest 18% above VT
	Wells and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.7%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%	15.1%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Waterford and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.5%±2.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Wells and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41%Highest VT: 43.8%	29.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest VT: 7%	3%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Wells and Waterford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,375±$19kHighest 35% above VT	$75,417±$11kLowest 7% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,500±$22kHighest 14% below VT	$243,000±$42kLowest 23% below VT
	Waterford and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,313±$282 6% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,238Highest 16% below VT	$3,308Lowest 34% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	62.5%±100 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	15.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	99%Highest VT: 73.2%	93.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 4% above VT	48 minHighest 102% above VT
Work from home	15.3%±7.8Highest VT: 16.9%	11.3%±6.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waterford and Wells are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78	Wells Spring Unified Union School District #69
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.