What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Strafford has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Strafford
People
Population	711Lowest	1,372Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.4%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.3±7.6Lowest 17% above VT	51.4±4.7Highest 19% above VT
	Strafford 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%	23%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Strafford and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.7%±6.7Highest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±3.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	West Fairlee and Strafford 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%	53.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±2.6Highest VT: 7%
	Strafford and West Fairlee 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	$110,833±$19kHighest 36% above VT
	Strafford 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	$431,300±$40kHighest 36% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$171Lowest 10% below VT	$1,125±$789Highest 9% below VT
	Strafford and West Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,210Lowest 3% above VT	$7,149Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±89.6Highest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±48Lowest VT: 48.4%
	West Fairlee and Strafford 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%	5.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	88.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT	1980Highest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 20% above VT	23 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	5.5%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.1%±4.3Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
School district	Rivendell Interstate School District	Strafford School District
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.