What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Upton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.1%).

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	Upton
People
Population	12,122Highest	8,189Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	46.4±4.8Highest 19% above U.S.
	Upton 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%	23.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Upton 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%	20.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Upton 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%	53.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Upton 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.	$155,508±$33kHighest 93% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.	$576,700±$41kHighest 73% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Highest 24% below U.S.	$948±$599Lowest 33% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Upton 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.	$8,376Highest 169% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±31Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Upton 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%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	35 minHighest 34% above U.S.
Work from home	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Upton 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	#46 of 282 in MA
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Mendon-Upton
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	Blackstone Valley
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.