Compare towns
Belvidere vs Sutton vs Middlebury vs Brookline
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Belvidere has the most kids (22% under 18).
Sutton has the most affordable homes ($231k median).
Middlebury has the shortest commute (16 min average).
Brookline has the most people working from home (20.6%).
Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | Belvidere | Sutton | Middlebury | Brookline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 422Lowest |
790 |
9,175Highest |
531 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -11.3%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
+1.9% VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 40.7±6.5 6% below VT |
46.6±5.7Highest 8% above VT |
31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT |
45.1±2.7 5% above VT |
| Sutton and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 22%±4Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.3%±3.4 VT: 17.9% |
11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9% |
20%±6 VT: 17.9% |
| Belvidere and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 8.8%±4Lowest VT: 21.4% |
21.6%±2.7Highest VT: 21.4% |
20.7%±2.6 VT: 21.4% |
19.6%±4.2 VT: 21.4% |
| Sutton and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 35.9% VT: 43.8% |
32.8%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
55.4%Highest VT: 43.8% |
41.1% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 1.4%±1.3Lowest VT: 7% |
2.3%±1.8 VT: 7% |
32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7% |
3.2%±1.6 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $81,563±$18k about the VT average |
$71,250±$18kLowest 12% below VT |
$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT |
$80,833±$16k about the VT average |
| Middlebury and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $239,200±$51k 24% below VT |
$231,100±$41kLowest 27% below VT |
$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT |
$290,700±$37k 8% below VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,542±$1k 25% above VT |
— | $1,156±$113Lowest 6% below VT |
$1,732±$232Highest 40% above VT |
| Brookline and Belvidere are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,908Lowest 22% below VT |
$3,975 21% below VT |
$6,868Highest 36% above VT |
$5,000 about the VT average |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 66.7%±53.8Highest VT: 48.4% |
37.8%±31.1Lowest VT: 48.4% |
50.9%±14.4 VT: 48.4% |
47.8%±94.7 VT: 48.4% |
| Belvidere and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 5.5%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
12.4%Highest VT: 10.1% |
10.7% VT: 10.1% |
6.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 86.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
85% VT: 73.2% |
65.1%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
84.9% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1989Highest 13 yrs newer than VT |
1979 3 yrs newer than VT |
1976 same as VT |
1975Lowest 1 yr older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 38 minHighest 60% above VT |
30 min 26% above VT |
16 minLowest 33% below VT |
28 min 21% above VT |
| Work from home | 9.4%±7.6Lowest VT: 16.9% |
11.6%±5.3 VT: 16.9% |
18.8%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
20.6%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Brookline and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | — | #17 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64 | Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55 | — |
| High school in town | — | None in town | Middlebury Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 12.6 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | 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.