What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitefield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8%).

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	Whitefield	Brattleboro
People
Population	2,516Lowest	12,122Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.4±4.6Highest 32% above U.S.	45.6±4.5Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	19%±2.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brattleboro and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.6%±5.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.5%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	46.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,125±$12kHighest 22% below U.S.	$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below U.S.
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$240,400±$22kLowest 28% below U.S.	$257,300±$18kHighest 23% below U.S.
	Brattleboro and Whitefield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,077±$160Highest 24% below U.S.	$1,074±$58Lowest 24% below U.S.
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,394Lowest 41% above U.S.	$5,700Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.9%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Whitefield and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 28% below U.S.
Work from home	7.2%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.9%±4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#86 of 120 in NH	#33 of 70 in VT
School district	White Mountains Regional School District	Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96
High school in town	White Mountains Regional High School	Brattleboro Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	9.0Highest
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.