What stands out worked out from the figures below

Acton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k 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	Acton	Brattleboro
People
Population	24,155Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±0.8Lowest 14% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Acton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	79.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Acton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$158,230±$14kHighest 96% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$807,300±$20kHighest 143% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,986±$155Highest 41% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.7%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Acton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 282 in MA	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Acton-Boxborough	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Acton-Boxborough Regional High	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.0Lowest
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.