Compare towns
Shelburne vs Brattleboro vs Williston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Shelburne has the most people working from home (31.4%).
Brattleboro has the most affordable homes ($257k median).
Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).
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.
| Measure | Shelburne | Brattleboro | Williston |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,969Lowest |
12,122Highest |
10,144 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +8% VT: +2.8% |
+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+16.2%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 50.9±3.2Highest 18% above VT |
45.6±4.5 6% above VT |
45.4±4.5Lowest 5% above VT |
| Shelburne and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20.2%±3.9 VT: 17.9% |
19%±2.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
20.5%±5.2Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Williston and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 29.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.5%±3.2 VT: 21.4% |
21%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Shelburne and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 70.2%Highest VT: 43.8% |
46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
54.9% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.7%±2.9 VT: 7% |
4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7% |
5.7%±2.7Highest VT: 7% |
| Williston and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $115,963±$16kHighest 43% above VT |
$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT |
$106,967±$12k 32% above VT |
| Shelburne and Williston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $588,100±$44kHighest 86% above VT |
$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT |
$475,800±$40k 50% above VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,442±$589 17% above VT |
$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT |
$1,832±$130Highest 48% above VT |
| Williston and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $8,173Highest 62% above VT |
$5,700 13% above VT |
$5,592Lowest 11% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 43.7%±10.6Lowest VT: 48.4% |
46.9%±9.6Highest VT: 48.4% |
46.9%±17.4Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Below poverty line | 8.4% VT: 10.1% |
17.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
4.3%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 69.9% VT: 73.2% |
58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
75.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1986 10 yrs newer than VT |
1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT |
1993Highest 17 yrs newer than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 14% below VT |
19 minLowest 19% below VT |
20 min 16% below VT |
| Work from home | 31.4%±7.6Highest VT: 16.9% |
17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9% |
22.3%±7.6 VT: 16.9% |
| Shelburne and Williston 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 | #8 of 70 in VT | #33 of 70 in VT | #11 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56 |
| High school in town | None in town | Brattleboro Union High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.0 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.