What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hampden has the highest household income ($105k).

Brattleboro has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).

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	Hampden	Brattleboro
People
Population	4,946Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.9±3.3Highest 31% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Hampden and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hampden and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampden and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,536±$16kHighest 29% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$358,200±$16kHighest 8% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,132±$107Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Hampden and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,181Highest 98% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.9%±42.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#199 of 282 in MA	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Hampden-Wilbraham	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	None in town	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
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.