What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has the most kids (19.2% under 18).

Hampton has the most expensive homes ($550k 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	Brandon	Hampton
People
Population	4,120Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±3.1Lowest 29% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below U.S.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hampton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 70 in VT	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	10.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.