What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most kids (17.5% under 18).

Fairlee has the oldest population (median age 63.5).

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	Windham	Fairlee
People
Population	594Highest	54Lowest
Median age	44.2±7.4Lowest about the VT average	63.5±7.6Highest 47% above VT
Kids under 18	17.5%±7.9Highest VT: 17.9%	0%±52.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Windham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±8.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	37%±54.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Fairlee and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	11.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.8%±1.1Highest VT: 7%	0%±26.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Windham and Fairlee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,500±$12kHighest 16% above VT	$21,071±$13kLowest 74% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$353,900±$20kHighest 12% above VT	$277,500±$28kLowest 12% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,057±$620 14% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,951Highest 18% above VT	$3,750Lowest 26% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±94Lowest VT: 48.4%	100%±55.5Highest VT: 48.4%
	Fairlee and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%	50%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	57.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1942Lowest 34 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 min 14% above VT	—
Work from home	20.5%±5.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	23.5%±30.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Fairlee and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.