What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brighton has the most affordable homes ($164k median).

Orwell has the most expensive homes ($336k median).

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	Brighton	Orwell
People
Population	1,167Lowest	1,294Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.9%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.2±11.6Lowest 5% above VT	47.5±7Highest 10% above VT
	Orwell and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±5.7Lowest VT: 17.9%	21.8%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Orwell and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.2%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%	24%±3.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brighton and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	22.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±2.4Highest VT: 7%	3.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
	Brighton and Orwell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,375±$21kLowest 42% below VT	$70,417±$22kHighest 13% below VT
	Orwell and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$163,900±$39kLowest 48% below VT	$335,600±$25kHighest 6% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$33Lowest 37% below VT	$1,105±$51Highest 10% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,360Lowest 33% below VT	$3,914Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55%±17Lowest VT: 48.4%	62.1%±35.9Highest VT: 48.4%
	Orwell and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	22%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	87.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 9 yrs older than VT	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 41% above VT	27 minLowest 15% above VT
Work from home	12.4%±8.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.3%±7.2Highest VT: 16.9%
	Orwell and Brighton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Brighton School District	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.