What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woodford has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Jay has the most kids (14.2% under 18).

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	Woodford	Jay
People
Population	282Lowest	471Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.8% VT: +2.8%
Median age	61.8±4.9Highest 43% above VT	52.1±10.5Lowest 21% above VT
	Woodford and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	9.6%±11.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	14.2%±7.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Jay and Woodford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	35.1%±7.9Highest VT: 21.4%	15.5%±6.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32%Lowest VT: 43.8%	45.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±5.5Highest VT: 7%	1.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Woodford and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,250±$20kHighest about the VT average	$74,792±$25kLowest 8% below VT
	Woodford and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,000±$67kHighest 13% below VT	$234,200±$45kLowest 26% below VT
	Woodford and Jay are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,075Lowest 39% below VT	$3,588Highest 29% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	40%±100 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest VT: 10.1%	8.7%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	97%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	2001Highest 25 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	40 minHighest 69% above VT
Work from home	26.6%±11.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±13.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Jay and Woodford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87	Jay/Westfield Joint Elementary School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.