What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Pawlet has the most affordable homes ($156k median).

Stratton has the most expensive homes ($400k median).

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 Pawlet	Stratton
People
Population	368Lowest	532Highest
Median age	26.4±30.1Lowest 39% below VT	31.5±4.1Highest 27% below VT
	Stratton and West Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.9%±7.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	28%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Stratton and West Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±9.7Highest VT: 21.4%	11.7%±4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	West Pawlet and Stratton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.2% VT: 43.8%	33.2% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.3%±3.9Highest VT: 7%	1.3%±2.8Lowest VT: 7%
	West Pawlet and Stratton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$122,708±$33k 51% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$156,000±$74kLowest 51% below VT	$400,000±$50kHighest 26% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$950±$75Lowest 23% below VT	$1,208±$979Highest about the VT average
	Stratton and West Pawlet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,974Lowest 61% below VT	$4,750Highest 6% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50%±100Highest VT: 48.4%	12%±69.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	West Pawlet and Stratton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	0%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1988Highest 12 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 42% above VT	33 minLowest 39% above VT
Work from home	4%±3.6Highest VT: 16.9%	3.3%±3.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	West Pawlet and Stratton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.