What stands out worked out from the figures below

Albany has the shortest commute (20 min average).

Brookline has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	Albany	Brookline
People
Population	135Lowest	531Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.9±14Lowest about the VT average	45.1±2.7Highest 5% above VT
	Brookline and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±11.4Highest VT: 17.9%	20%±6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Albany and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.1%±19.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.6%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brookline and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1% VT: 43.8%	41.1% VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.7%±7.7Lowest VT: 7%	3.2%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Brookline and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	—	$80,833±$16k about the VT average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$211,800±$56kLowest 33% below VT	$290,700±$37kHighest 8% below VT
	Brookline and Albany are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,732±$232 40% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,867Lowest 43% below VT	$5,000Highest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	47.8%±94.7 VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	6.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 14% below VT	28 minHighest 21% above VT
Work from home	9%±6.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%
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.