What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hanson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.2%).

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	Hanson	Brattleboro
People
Population	10,660Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3Lowest 10% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hanson and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Hanson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.8%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hanson and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$132,200±$10kHighest 64% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$533,900±$36kHighest 60% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,821±$860Highest 29% above U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Hanson and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,402Highest 105% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69%±33.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hanson and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	7.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#149 of 282 in MA	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Whitman-Hanson	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Whitman Hanson Regional	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	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.