What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has the most renters (41.5% rent).

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	12,122Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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 U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Sutton 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%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Brattleboro 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.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Sutton 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro and Sutton 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	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	10.4Highest
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.