Compare towns
Westminster vs Windham vs Athens vs Putney
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Westminster has the most people working from home (27%).
Windham has the most expensive homes ($723k median).
Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k median).
Putney has the shortest commute (18 min average).
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.
| Measure | Westminster | Windham | Athens | Putney |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 2,999 |
16,038Highest |
431Lowest |
2,622 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -5.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | -3.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 53.5±3.7Highest 38% above U.S. |
41.1±2.9 6% above U.S. |
47.3±6.5 22% above U.S. |
37.2±5.2Lowest 4% below U.S. |
| Westminster and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 18.2%±4.7 U.S.: 22% |
27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22% |
13.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 22% |
15.4%±4.1 U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 27.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.6%±4.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
18.1%±3.8 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Westminster and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
48.6% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±3.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.9%±3 U.S.: 6.4% |
20.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $71,491±$4k 11% below U.S. |
$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S. |
$68,438±$30kLowest 15% below U.S. |
$79,706±$18k about the U.S. average |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $273,800±$35k 18% below U.S. |
$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S. |
$240,400±$32kLowest 28% below U.S. |
$300,000±$44k 10% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $916±$126 35% below U.S. |
$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S. |
$1,125±$537 20% below U.S. |
$508±$482Lowest 64% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,063Lowest 30% above U.S. |
$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S. |
$5,438 74% above U.S. |
$5,313 70% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 49.2%±7.5 U.S.: 51.1% |
52.2%±50.9 U.S.: 51.1% |
43.5%±39Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
54.2%±19.4Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Putney and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 8.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
12.1% U.S.: 12.5% |
16%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
73.7% U.S.: 65.2% |
72.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1980 same as U.S. |
1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S. |
1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S. |
1977 3 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 24 min 10% below U.S. |
31 min 17% above U.S. |
36 minHighest 36% above U.S. |
18 minLowest 32% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 27%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
21.9%±4.4 U.S.: 15.1% |
19.3%±7.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
16.9%±6.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Westminster and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #53 of 70 in VT | #13 of 120 in NH | — | #32 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Bellows Falls Union High School District #27 · Westminster School District | Windham School District | — | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 |
| High school in town | Bellows Falls Union High School | Windham High School | — | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.6Lowest |
12.8Highest |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet | 6 photos → |
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.