What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brookline has the most people working from home (20.6%).

Derby Line has the most affordable homes ($201k 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	Brookline	Derby Line
People
Population	531Lowest	783Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	45.1±2.7Lowest 5% above VT	46.7±13.3Highest 8% above VT
	Derby Line and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20%±6Lowest VT: 17.9%	22.6%±8.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Derby Line and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	24.9%±6.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Derby Line and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Highest VT: 43.8%	35.2%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±2.3Highest VT: 7%
	Derby Line and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,833±$16kHighest about the VT average	$71,518±$25kLowest 12% below VT
	Brookline and Derby Line are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$290,700±$37kHighest 8% below VT	$201,000±$52kLowest 37% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,732±$232Highest 40% above VT	$835±$334Lowest 32% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,000Highest about the VT average	$3,275Lowest 35% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.8%±94.7Highest VT: 48.4%	35.4%±24.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brookline and Derby Line are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	7.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	83%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT	1956Lowest 20 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 21% above VT	24 minLowest 3% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%	13.5%±9.8Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Brookline and Derby Line are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.