What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Nelson has the most affordable homes ($230k 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	Nelson
People
Population	10,144Highest	1,765Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	47.2±6.2Highest 21% above U.S.
	Nelson 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 U.S.: 22%	20.1%±8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Williston and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.7%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Williston and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Nelson and Williston 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 U.S.	$82,063±$18kLowest about the U.S. average
	Williston and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S.	$230,000±$18kLowest 31% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$773±$328Lowest 45% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,592Highest 79% above U.S.	$3,990Lowest 28% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	22.2%±40.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Williston and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.	29 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.8%±6.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Williston and Nelson 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	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.