What stands out worked out from the figures below

Readfield has the most homeowners (89.9%).

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	Readfield	Brattleboro
People
Population	2,651Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±7.6Highest 24% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Readfield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.7%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,504±$8kHighest 7% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,400±$20kHighest about the U.S. average	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,125±$844Highest 20% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Readfield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,392Lowest 9% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.3%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Readfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	24.3%±14.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Readfield 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	#20 of 133 in ME	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 38	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Maranacook Community High Sch	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	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.