What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Salisbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).

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	West Fairlee	Salisbury
People
Population	711Lowest	1,200Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.3±7.6Lowest 17% above VT	50.6±6.5Highest 17% above VT
	Salisbury and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±5.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	16.6%±3.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Salisbury and West Fairlee 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%	30.4%±2.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Salisbury 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%Highest VT: 43.8%	34.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±2.3Highest VT: 7%	1.6%±1.1Lowest VT: 7%
	West Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,500±$16kLowest 6% below VT	$99,688±$21kHighest 23% above VT
	Salisbury and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$237,200±$35kLowest 25% below VT	$306,900±$51kHighest 3% below VT
	Salisbury and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$171Lowest 10% below VT	$1,443±$984Highest 17% above VT
	Salisbury and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,210Highest 3% above VT	$4,842Lowest 4% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±89.6Highest VT: 48.4%	31.9%±22.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	West Fairlee and Salisbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	4.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	88.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs newer than VT	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	19 minLowest 20% below VT
Work from home	5.5%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	6%±2.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Salisbury 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.