What stands out worked out from the figures below

Killingly has the highest household income ($84k).

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	Killingly	Brattleboro
People
Population	17,867Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.5±3Lowest about the U.S. average	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Killingly and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Killingly and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,350±$8kHighest 4% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,600±$15kHighest 13% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
	Killingly and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$141Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Highest 24% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 26% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.8%±10.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Killingly are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	11.1%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 149 in CT	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Killingly High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	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.