Compare towns
Brattleboro vs Johnson vs Wilder
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Brattleboro has the most people working from home (17.9%).
Johnson has the most affordable homes ($169k median).
Wilder has grown the fastest since 2010 (+81.7%).
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.
| Measure | Brattleboro | Johnson | Wilder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 12,122Highest |
3,450 |
3,087Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+1.3% VT: +2.8% |
+81.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT |
30.9±6.5Lowest 28% below VT |
45.5±8.9 6% above VT |
| Brattleboro and Wilder are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 19%±2.8 VT: 17.9% |
22.7%±5Highest VT: 17.9% |
11.8%±4.1Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| Johnson and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 25.5%±3.2 VT: 21.4% |
10.8%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4% |
27.3%±4.4Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Wilder and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 46.5% VT: 43.8% |
32.2%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
60.2%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7% |
14.4%±2.1Highest VT: 7% |
8.1%±3.9 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $58,241±$8k 28% below VT |
$55,346±$14kLowest 32% below VT |
$75,143±$9kHighest 7% below VT |
| Wilder and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $257,300±$18k 19% below VT |
$169,400±$62kLowest 46% below VT |
$273,200±$18kHighest 14% below VT |
| Wilder and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,074±$58 13% below VT |
$948±$45Lowest 23% below VT |
$1,142±$451Highest 7% below VT |
| Wilder and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,700Highest 13% above VT |
$3,310Lowest 34% below VT |
$5,505 9% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.9%±9.6 VT: 48.4% |
51.6%±20.8Highest VT: 48.4% |
39.9%±17.2Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Johnson and Brattleboro 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% |
12.2% VT: 10.1% |
9.3%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.5% VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
62.9%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT |
1980 4 yrs newer than VT |
1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 19% below VT |
33 minHighest 42% above VT |
17 minLowest 29% below VT |
| Work from home | 17.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9% |
8.8%±4.6Lowest VT: 16.9% |
12.6%±6.7 VT: 16.9% |
| Brattleboro and Wilder 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 | #57 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A | — |
| High school in town | Brattleboro Union High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.0 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.