What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitehall has the most affordable homes ($102k median).

Fair Haven has the most people working from home (4.3%).

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	Whitehall	Fair Haven
People
Population	2,690Lowest	2,724Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.8±4.8Lowest 5% below U.S.	39.2±7.6Highest about the U.S. average
	Fair Haven and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	26.7%±5Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Whitehall and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fair Haven and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	23.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Fair Haven and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,683±$8kLowest 41% below U.S.	$62,404±$16kHighest 23% below U.S.
	Fair Haven and Whitehall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$102,000±$9kLowest 69% below U.S.	$176,500±$14kHighest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$975±$96Highest 31% below U.S.	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Whitehall and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,178Lowest about the U.S. average	$3,865Highest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.6%±18.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±20.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitehall and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	29.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	18.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938 42 yrs older than U.S.	1938 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	0.6%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	4.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	—	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 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.