What stands out worked out from the figures below

Athens has the most affordable homes ($240k median).

Brookfield has the highest household income ($99k).

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	Athens	Brookfield
People
Population	431Lowest	1,486Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.7% VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.3±6.5Highest 10% above VT	47±5.9Lowest 9% above VT
	Athens and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brookfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	29.7%±6.4Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brookfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	45.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%	3.2%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Athens and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,438±$30kLowest 16% below VT	$98,500±$23kHighest 21% above VT
	Brookfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT	$339,300±$15kHighest 7% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT	$975±$306Lowest 21% below VT
	Athens and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,438Highest 8% above VT	$4,560Lowest 10% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.5%±39Highest VT: 48.4%	30.4%±27.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Athens and Brookfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%	6.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minLowest 53% above VT	37 minHighest 55% above VT
Work from home	19.3%±7.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	27.3%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Brookfield and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	—	None in town
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.