What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

Brattleboro has the most kids (19% under 18).

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	Waltham	Brattleboro
People
Population	452Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.1% VT: +2.8%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	45.6±4.5Lowest 6% above VT
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	19%±2.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brattleboro and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	25.5%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	46.5%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%	4.1%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Brattleboro and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT	$257,300±$18kLowest 19% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Highest 11% below VT	$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT
	Waltham and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$5,700Lowest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	46.9%±9.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Brattleboro and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	58.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	19 minLowest 19% below VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	17.9%±4Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Waltham 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	—	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	—	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
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.