What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pembroke has the highest household income ($90k).

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	Pembroke	Brattleboro
People
Population	7,438Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.9±3.3Lowest 8% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pembroke and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Pembroke are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,519±$22kHighest 11% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$20kHighest 12% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,218±$354Highest 14% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Pembroke and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,589Highest 143% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.4%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pembroke and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 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	17%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro and Pembroke 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	#85 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Pembroke School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Pembroke Academy	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	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.