What stands out worked out from the figures below

Peterborough 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	Peterborough	Brattleboro
People
Population	6,408Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.1±1.9Highest 34% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Peterborough and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Peterborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,401±$8kHighest 22% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$404,500±$31kHighest 22% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,395±$209Highest about the U.S. average	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,655Highest 177% above U.S.	$5,700Lowest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 15% below U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	15.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brattleboro and Peterborough 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	#59 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Contoocook Valley School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Conval Regional High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	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.