What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Mendon has the most people working from home (22.5%).

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	Mendon
People
Population	340Lowest	1,113Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.5% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.7±12.7Lowest about the VT average	53.4±10.5Highest 24% above VT
	Mendon and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.5Highest VT: 17.9%	14.6%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Wells River and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	29%±1.3Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	49.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Mendon 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	$100,524±$23kHighest 24% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT	$357,000±$44kHighest 13% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT	$1,230±$651Highest about the VT average
	Mendon 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	$5,342Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	88.6%±42.7Highest VT: 48.4%
	Mendon and Wells River 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%	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	92.2%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1977Highest 1 yr newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 43% above VT	17 minLowest 28% below VT
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	22.5%±8.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Mendon and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.