What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells River has the most affordable homes ($171k median).

Fairfield has the highest household income ($87k).

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	Wells River	Fairfield
People
Population	340Lowest	1,938Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.1% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average	42.3±2.7Lowest about the VT average
	Wells River and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	25.4%±5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Fairfield and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%	14.3%±1.8Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Wells River and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	30.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%	3.5%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Fairfield and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT	$87,019±$22kHighest 7% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT	$320,600±$22kHighest about the VT average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT	$1,056±$441Highest 14% below VT
	Fairfield and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,154Lowest 18% below VT	$4,816Highest 4% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±20.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Wells River and Fairfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.1%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1984Highest 8 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 43% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	7.8%±3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Fairfield and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
High school 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.