What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k 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	Westminster	Washburn
People
Population	2,999Highest	1,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.5±3.7Highest 38% above U.S.	48.2±7.7Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Washburn 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%	24%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,491±$4kHighest 11% below U.S.	$56,196±$6kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,800±$35kHighest 18% below U.S.	$112,900±$14kLowest 66% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$916±$126Highest 35% below U.S.	$482±$62Lowest 66% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,063Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,571Lowest 50% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±7.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.3%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Westminster and Washburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District	RSU 45/MSAD 45
High school in town	Bellows Falls Union High School	Washburn District High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	12.0Highest
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.