What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wilder has the most expensive homes ($273k median).

Sandgate has the most people working from home (34.6%).

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	Wilder	Sandgate
People
Population	3,087Highest	435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+81.7% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	45.5±8.9Lowest 6% above VT	55.7±5.4Highest 29% above VT
	Sandgate and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.8%±4.1Lowest VT: 17.9%	13.1%±7.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Sandgate and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4%	26%±11.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Wilder and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	37.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	8.1%±3.9Highest VT: 7%	2.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Wilder and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,143±$9kHighest 7% below VT	$69,167±$19kLowest 15% below VT
	Wilder and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,200±$18kHighest 14% below VT	$193,800±$31kLowest 39% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,142±$451 7% below VT	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,505Highest 9% above VT	$2,778Lowest 45% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.9%±17.2Highest VT: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Wilder and Sandgate are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	9.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	94.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT	1959Lowest 17 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 29% below VT	27 minHighest 16% above VT
Work from home	12.6%±6.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	34.6%±32.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Sandgate and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.