What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Fairlee has the most affordable homes ($237k median).

Ripton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+25.7%).

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	West Fairlee	Ripton
People
Population	711Highest	508Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+25.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.3±7.6Highest 17% above VT	47.7±14.2Lowest 11% above VT
	West Fairlee and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±5.1Highest VT: 17.9%	11.8%±6.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	West Fairlee and Ripton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	30.5%±7.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Ripton and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	48%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	20.1%±6.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,500±$16kLowest 6% below VT	$112,917±$15kHighest 39% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$237,200±$35kLowest 25% below VT	$394,400±$61kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$171 10% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,210Highest 3% above VT	$4,915Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±89.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.9%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Ripton and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	8.6%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	90.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs newer than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	5.5%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.2%±8.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Ripton and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.