What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Haven has the most kids (17.5% under 18).

Waltham has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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 Haven	Waltham
People
Population	234Lowest	452Highest
Median age	54±10.5Lowest 25% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±13.3Highest VT: 17.9%	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	West Haven and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	29.9%±4.7Lowest VT: 21.4%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	39%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.4%±4.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,250±$29kLowest 5% above VT	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$34kLowest 23% below VT	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,096±$113 11% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,485Lowest 11% below VT	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 2 yrs newer than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 8% above VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	10.4%±6.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham and West Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.