What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k 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	Colchester	Brattleboro
People
Population	17,648Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT	45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%	19%±2.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT	$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT	$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,471Lowest 9% above VT	$5,700Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.2%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±9.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Brattleboro and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 15% below VT	19 minLowest 19% below VT
Work from home	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Colchester 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	#18 of 70 in VT	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Colchester School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Colchester High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.