What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the highest household income ($130k).

Brandon has the most affordable homes ($228k 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	Sutton	Brandon
People
Population	2,239Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.	50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.
	Brandon and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brandon and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.
	Sutton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±15.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brandon and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Brandon 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	—	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Highest	9.9Lowest
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.