What stands out worked out from the figures below

Williamstown has the most homeowners (90.7%).

Montpelier has the most people working from home (26.9%).

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	Williamstown	Montpelier
People
Population	3,579Lowest	8,014Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	+2.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42±5Lowest about the VT average	42.3±2.4Highest about the VT average
	Montpelier and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%	17.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Williamstown and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.3%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Montpelier and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	66.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±3.2Lowest VT: 7%	5%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Montpelier and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,418±$10kHighest 16% above VT	$81,030±$6kLowest about the VT average
	Williamstown and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,900±$24kLowest 26% below VT	$375,100±$21kHighest 18% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,659±$189Highest 34% above VT	$1,302±$113Lowest 6% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,841Lowest 24% below VT	$6,936Highest 38% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	83.7%±100Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±9.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Williamstown and Montpelier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	53.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest about the VT average	18 minLowest 23% below VT
Work from home	13.9%±6.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	26.9%±5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#47 of 70 in VT	#9 of 70 in VT
School district	Paine Mountain Union School District #68	Montpelier Roxbury Unified Union School District #71
High school in town	Williamstown Middle/High School	Montpelier High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Lowest	10.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.