What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has the most expensive homes ($228k median).

Marshfield has the most people working from home (17.5%).

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	Marshfield
People
Population	4,120Highest	470Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT	42.4±8.8Lowest about the VT average
	Brandon and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.4%±9.1Highest VT: 17.9%
	Marshfield and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Highest VT: 21.4%	10.2%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	35.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	3.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%
	Marshfield 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 VT	$84,375±$20kHighest 4% above VT
	Marshfield and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kHighest 28% below VT	$178,300±$31kLowest 44% below VT
	Brandon and Marshfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 14% below VT	$1,125±$79Highest 9% below VT
	Marshfield and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Highest 16% below VT	$3,269Lowest 35% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Lowest VT: 48.4%	52.4%±62.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Marshfield 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 VT: 10.1%	4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	81.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Highest 25 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the VT average	29 minHighest 24% above VT
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.5%±7.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Marshfield and Brandon 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	#69 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	—
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9	—
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.