What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rutland has the most affordable homes ($186k 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	Rutland	Brattleboro
People
Population	15,712Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	49±2.1Highest 14% above VT	45.6±4.5Lowest 6% above VT
	Rutland and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	19%±2.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brattleboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.2%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Rutland and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7%	4.1%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Brattleboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT	$58,241±$8kHighest 28% below VT
	Brattleboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$185,500±$16kLowest 41% below VT	$257,300±$18kHighest 19% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$995±$65Lowest 19% below VT	$1,074±$58Highest 13% below VT
	Brattleboro and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,657Lowest 8% below VT	$5,700Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.6%±8.2Highest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±9.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Rutland and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	58.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1955Highest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	16 minLowest 32% below VT	19 minHighest 19% below VT
Work from home	8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#51 of 70 in VT	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Rutland City School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Rutland Senior High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.