What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

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	Amherst	Brattleboro
People
Population	11,861Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Amherst and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Amherst and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kHighest 90% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 62% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 213% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.