What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells River has the most renters (52.1% rent).

Waterville has the highest household income ($71k).

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	Waterville
People
Population	340Lowest	680Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.7±12.7Lowest about the VT average	49.1±8.2Highest 14% above VT
	Waterville 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%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.4%±8.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waterville 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%	14.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Wells River and Waterville 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%	32.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%	5.3%±3.3Highest VT: 7%
	Waterville 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	$71,250±$27kHighest 12% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT	$236,300±$15kHighest 25% below VT
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT	$1,110±$93Highest 10% below VT
	Waterville and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,154Highest 18% below VT	$3,957Lowest 21% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Highest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±27.2Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Wells River and Waterville 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%	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	79.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 43% above VT	38 minHighest 60% above VT
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	8.5%±3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waterville and Wells River 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
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.