What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lenox has the most affordable homes ($162k median).

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	Lenox	Brattleboro
People
Population	8,658Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±2Lowest 16% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lenox and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,900±$8kHighest 6% below U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$9kLowest 51% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kHighest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$935±$83Lowest 34% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Highest 24% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,184Lowest 34% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.5%±9.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Lenox are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955 25 yrs older than U.S.	1955 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	8%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#412 of 484 in NY	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT · CANASTOTA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	CANASTOTA HIGH SCHOOL	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	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.