What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham	Brandon
People
Population	16,038Highest	4,120Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S.
Kids under 18	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.5%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windham and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.	$227,800±$23kLowest 32% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.	$1,064±$225Lowest 25% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$4,241Lowest 36% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#13 of 120 in NH	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Windham School District	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Windham High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	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.