What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the highest household income ($92k).

Brandon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.1%).

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	Hardwick	Brandon
People
Population	2,965Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.1±7.4Lowest 9% above VT	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT
	Brandon and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brandon and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%	22.3%±4.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Highest VT: 7%
	Brandon and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below VT
	Hardwick and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT	$227,800±$23kHighest 28% below VT
	Brandon and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT	$1,064±$225Highest 14% below VT
	Brandon and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Highest 14% below VT	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Highest VT: 48.4%	41.7%±15.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Hardwick and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	11.8%±6Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Hardwick and Brandon 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	#68 of 70 in VT	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	9.9Highest
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.