What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).

Dudley has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.7%).

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	Westminster	Dudley
People
Population	2,999Lowest	11,929Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.5±3.7Highest 38% above U.S.	40.2±2.4Lowest 3% above U.S.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Dudley and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.9%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.1%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,491±$4kLowest 11% below U.S.	$84,604±$12kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Dudley and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,800±$35kLowest 18% below U.S.	$392,600±$19kHighest 18% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$916±$126Lowest 35% below U.S.	$1,217±$182Highest 14% below U.S.
	Dudley and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,063Highest 30% above U.S.	$3,691Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±7.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	47.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westminster and Dudley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	27 minHighest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.1%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 70 in VT	#142 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District	Dudley-Charlton Reg
High school in town	Bellows Falls Union High School	Shepherd Hill Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	14.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.