What stands out worked out from the figures below

Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).

Charleston has the most affordable homes ($238k 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	Williston	Charleston
People
Population	10,144Highest	936Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.2%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.4±4.5Lowest 5% above VT	58.4±9.3Highest 35% above VT
	Charleston and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%	11.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Williston and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	37.7%±8.6Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	13.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.7Highest VT: 7%	3.7%±2.3Lowest VT: 7%
	Williston and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,967±$12kHighest 32% above VT	$49,286±$17kLowest 39% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,800±$40kHighest 50% above VT	$238,000±$53kLowest 25% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,832±$130Highest 48% above VT	$979±$444Lowest 21% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,592Highest 11% above VT	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±17.4Highest VT: 48.4%	32.7%±26.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Williston and Charleston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1993Highest 17 yrs newer than VT	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 16% below VT	26 minHighest 12% above VT
Work from home	22.3%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9%	18.7%±7.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Williston and Charleston 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	#11 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56	Charleston School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.