What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells River has the most people working from home (5.2%).

Stratton has the highest household income ($123k).

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	Stratton
People
Population	340Lowest	532Highest
Median age	42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average	31.5±4.1Lowest 27% below VT
	Wells River and Stratton 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%	28%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Stratton 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%	11.7%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	33.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%	1.3%±2.8Highest VT: 7%
	Stratton 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	$122,708±$33kHighest 51% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT	$400,000±$50kHighest 26% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT	$1,208±$979Highest about the VT average
	Stratton 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	$4,750Highest 6% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Highest VT: 48.4%	12%±69.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Wells River and Stratton 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%	0%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	73.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1988Highest 12 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 43% above VT	33 minLowest 39% above VT
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Highest VT: 16.9%	3.3%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Wells River and Stratton 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.