What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	4,120Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windham 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.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham 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%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#69 of 70 in VT	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	Windham School District
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	12.8Highest
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.