What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.7%).

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

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	Dracut	Brattleboro
People
Population	32,574Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dracut and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Dracut and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 72% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dracut and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Dracut	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	9.0Lowest
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.