What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.1%).

Royalton has the most people working from home (17.8%).

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	Royalton
People
Population	4,120Highest	2,752Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-0.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT	43.9±10.1Lowest about the VT average
	Brandon and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%	14.4%±5.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brandon and Royalton 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%	22.1%±6.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brandon and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	42.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	8%±4.2Highest VT: 7%
	Royalton 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	$103,938±$24kHighest 28% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kLowest 28% below VT	$263,200±$73kHighest 17% below VT
	Royalton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Highest 14% below VT	$1,040±$391Lowest 16% below VT
	Brandon and Royalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT	$4,675Highest 7% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Highest VT: 48.4%	36.7%±16.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brandon and Royalton 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%	13%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	63.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT	1965Highest 11 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest about the VT average	20 minLowest 13% below VT
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.8%±7.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Royalton 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	#48 of 70 in VT
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	White River Unified School District #79
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	White River Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Highest	8.7Lowest
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.