What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($221k median).

Strafford has the most expensive homes ($431k 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	Wolcott	Strafford
People
Population	1,507Highest	1,372Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4% VT: +2.8%	-0.4% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.4±5.9Lowest about the VT average	51.4±4.7Highest 19% above VT
	Strafford and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.8%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	23%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Strafford and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.1%±2.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	22.1%±3.4Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	53.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	5.1%±2.6Highest VT: 7%
	Strafford and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,259±$10kLowest 13% below VT	$110,833±$19kHighest 36% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$221,300±$23kLowest 30% below VT	$431,300±$40kHighest 36% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,059±$118Lowest 14% below VT	$1,125±$789Highest 9% below VT
	Strafford and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,930Lowest 22% below VT	$7,149Highest 42% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75.7%±21.8Highest VT: 48.4%	44.6%±48Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Wolcott and Strafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 13% above VT	23 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	13.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.1%±4.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Strafford and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Wolcott School District	Strafford 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.