What stands out worked out from the figures below

Salem has the highest household income ($83k).

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	Salem	Brattleboro
People
Population	2,611Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47.5±4.2Highest 22% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Salem and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brattleboro and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brattleboro and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,398±$12kHighest 3% above U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$196,000±$26kLowest 41% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kHighest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$948±$40Lowest 33% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Highest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,908Lowest 25% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.1%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1955Highest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±12.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Salem 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	#376 of 484 in NY	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	SALEM CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	SALEM HIGH SCHOOL	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.5Lowest	9.0Highest
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.