What stands out worked out from the figures below

Manchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.1%).

Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

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	Manchester	Brattleboro
People
Population	4,486Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	54.5±6.3Highest 26% above VT	45.6±4.5Lowest 6% above VT
	Manchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	19%±2.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brattleboro and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.7%±4.6Highest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Manchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3Highest VT: 7%	4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Manchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,886±$23kHighest 17% above VT	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$454,600±$47kHighest 44% above VT	$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,057±$76Lowest 14% below VT	$1,074±$58Highest 13% below VT
	Brattleboro and Manchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,923Highest 18% above VT	$5,700Lowest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.5%±13.9Highest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±9.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Manchester and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.8%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	14 minLowest 39% below VT	19 minHighest 19% below VT
Work from home	23.1%±5.2Highest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Manchester and Brattleboro 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	#37 of 70 in VT	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	None in town	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.