What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Brattleboro has the most people working from home (17.9%).

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	Webster	Brattleboro
People
Population	17,748Highest	12,122Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Lowest about the U.S. average	45.6±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Brattleboro and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Webster and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Webster and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,895±$6kHighest 10% below U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kHighest 9% above U.S.	$257,300±$18kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Highest 13% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,999Lowest 28% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brattleboro and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 18 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#271 of 282 in MA	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	Webster	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	Bartlett High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	9.0Lowest
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.