What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

Orwell has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Waterville	Orwell
People
Population	680Lowest	1,294Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49.1±8.2Highest 14% above VT	47.5±7Lowest 10% above VT
	Waterville and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.4%±8.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Orwell and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	24%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.3Highest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Waterville and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,250±$27kHighest 12% below VT	$70,417±$22kLowest 13% below VT
	Waterville and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$236,300±$15kLowest 25% below VT	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$93Highest 10% below VT	$1,105±$51Lowest 10% below VT
	Waterville and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,957Highest 21% below VT	$3,914Lowest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.6%±27.2Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.1%±35.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Orwell and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	10.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 4 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 60% above VT	27 minLowest 15% above VT
Work from home	8.5%±3Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±7.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Orwell and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
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.