What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

Brandon has the oldest population (median age 50.1).

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	Arlington	Brandon
People
Population	2,598Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest VT: +2.8%	+4.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 13% below VT	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Highest VT: 17.9%	19.2%±4.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Arlington and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	22.3%±4.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brandon and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Arlington and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 26% above VT	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kHighest about the VT average	$227,800±$23kLowest 28% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Highest 3% below VT	$1,064±$225Lowest 14% below VT
	Arlington and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Highest 10% below VT	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	41.7%±15.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 13% below VT	24 minHighest about the VT average
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Arlington School District	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Highest	9.9Lowest
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.