What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Portsmouth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.7%).

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	Portsmouth
People
Population	12,122Lowest	22,545Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.	42.9±2Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Portsmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%	14%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Portsmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	64%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Portsmouth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.	$106,219±$7kHighest 32% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.	$688,500±$39kHighest 107% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,869±$111Highest 32% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.	$8,018Highest 157% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.4%±7.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Portsmouth 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 U.S.: 12.5%	6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	51.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	22 minHighest 16% below U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Portsmouth 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	#11 of 120 in NH
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Portsmouth School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Portsmouth High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.4Highest
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.