What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Alton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.3%).

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	Alton
People
Population	12,122Highest	5,994Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	53.7±3.2Highest 38% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	13.4%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.1%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.8%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.	$113,715±$19kHighest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.	$430,400±$37kHighest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58 24% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.	$4,183Lowest 34% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.7%±27.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Alton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro and Alton 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	#72 of 120 in NH
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Prospect Mountain JMA School District · Alton School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Prospect Mountain High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.