Compare towns
Brattleboro vs Sutton vs Waterville vs Bennington
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%).
Sutton has the most homeowners (85%).
Waterville has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
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 | Sutton | Waterville | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 12,122 |
790 |
680Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +1.1% VT: +2.8% |
-11.3%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+1.9%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 45.6±4.5 6% above VT |
46.6±5.7 8% above VT |
49.1±8.2Highest 14% above VT |
44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT |
| Waterville and Sutton 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% |
17.3%±3.4Lowest VT: 17.9% |
20.4%±8.2Highest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| Waterville 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% |
21.6%±2.7 VT: 21.4% |
14.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington 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 VT: 43.8% |
32.8% VT: 43.8% |
32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.1%±1.6 VT: 7% |
2.3%±1.8Lowest VT: 7% |
5.3%±3.3 VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Waterville 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 VT |
$71,250±$18kHighest 12% below VT |
$71,250±$27kHighest 12% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $257,300±$18kHighest 19% below VT |
$231,100±$41k 27% below VT |
$236,300±$15k 25% below VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
| Brattleboro and Waterville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT |
— | $1,110±$93 10% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Bennington and Waterville 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 |
$3,975 21% below VT |
$3,957Lowest 21% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.9%±9.6 VT: 48.4% |
37.8%±31.1Lowest VT: 48.4% |
44.6%±27.2 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington 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% |
12.4% VT: 10.1% |
4.9%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 58.5% VT: 73.2% |
85%Highest VT: 73.2% |
79.9% VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT |
1979Highest 3 yrs newer than VT |
1972 4 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 19% below VT |
30 min 26% above VT |
38 minHighest 60% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 17.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9% |
11.6%±5.3 VT: 16.9% |
8.5%±3Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington 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 | — | — | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64 | Lamoille North Modified Union School District #058A | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Brattleboro Union High School | None in town | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 9.0Lowest |
— | — | 14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.