What stands out worked out from the figures below

St. Albans has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Brookline has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13%).

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	St. Albans	Brookline
People
Population	6,954Highest	5,736Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+13%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average	41.2±1.5Highest 6% above U.S.
	Brookline and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	26.7%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brookline and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.9%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	St. Albans and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	57.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brookline and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S.	$171,046±$4kHighest 112% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,400±$18kLowest 21% below U.S.	$544,400±$38kHighest 64% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,150±$78Lowest 19% below U.S.	$2,500±$1kHighest 77% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,436Lowest 42% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.8%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.8%±43.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	St. Albans and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	0.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 14% below U.S.	33 minHighest 26% above U.S.
Work from home	12.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.7%±5.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 70 in VT	#23 of 120 in NH
School district	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57	Brookline School District
High school in town	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.