What stands out worked out from the figures below

South Burlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.3%).

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	South Burlington	Brattleboro
People
Population	20,756Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.3%Highest VT: +2.8%	+1.1%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.2±1.8Lowest 11% below VT	45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT
Kids under 18	19%±2.3 VT: 17.9%	19%±2.8 VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	17.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.6%Highest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±2Highest VT: 7%	4.1%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	South Burlington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,667±$13kHighest 31% above VT	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$443,400±$19kHighest 40% above VT	$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,787±$59Highest 45% above VT	$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,674Highest 32% above VT	$5,700Lowest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.9%±7.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±9.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Brattleboro and South Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1989Highest 13 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 25% below VT	19 minHighest 19% below VT
Work from home	19.6%±3.3Highest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	South Burlington 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	#12 of 70 in VT	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	South Burlington School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	South Burlington High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Highest	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.