What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

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	Colchester
People
Population	12,122Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4%	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%	40.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Highest 13% above VT	$5,471Lowest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Highest VT: 48.4%	46.2%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brattleboro and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 19% below VT	20 minHighest 15% below VT
Work from home	17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Colchester 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	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Colchester School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.