What stands out worked out from the figures below

Keene has the highest household income ($78k).

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	Keene	Brattleboro
People
Population	22,939Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.5%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,445±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$252,500±$12kLowest 24% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kHighest 23% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,812Highest 118% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±6.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	19 minHighest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	15.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro and Keene 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	#81 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Keene School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Keene High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.