What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brattleboro has the most people working from home (17.9%).

Whitefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Whitefield
People
Population	12,122Highest	2,516Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.	51.4±4.6Highest 32% above U.S.
	Whitefield and Brattleboro 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%	14.3%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	28.6%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Whitefield 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Whitefield 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.	$63,125±$12kHighest 22% below U.S.
	Whitefield 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±$18kHighest 23% below U.S.	$240,400±$22kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,077±$160Highest 24% below U.S.
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.	$4,394Lowest 41% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.9%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitefield 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%	11%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	62.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#33 of 70 in VT	#86 of 120 in NH
School district	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96	White Mountains Regional School District
High school in town	Brattleboro Union High School	White Mountains Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Highest	7.9Lowest
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.