What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has the shortest commute (15 min average).

Westford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

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	Brattleboro	Westford
People
Population	7,657Highest	2,290Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.8%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.3±5.9Highest about the VT average	44.1±8.6Lowest about the VT average
	Brattleboro and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±4.1Highest VT: 17.9%	16.9%±4.6Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brattleboro and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.8%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	17.2%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%	52.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	9.5%±4.6Highest VT: 7%
	Westford and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,734±$12kLowest 35% below VT	$112,750±$12kHighest 39% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$234,600±$20kLowest 26% below VT	$424,500±$21kHighest 34% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,113±$67Lowest 10% below VT	$2,375±$1kHighest 92% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,490Lowest 9% above VT	$6,282Highest 25% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.1%±9.5Highest VT: 48.4%	29.8%±31Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brattleboro and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	15 minLowest 35% below VT	33 minHighest 42% above VT
Work from home	11.8%±5.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.1%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Westford and Brattleboro 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	#33 of 70 in VT	—
School district	—	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51
High school in town	—	None in town
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.