What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most people working from home (32.4%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Amherst	Barre
People
Population	11,861Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Amherst and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Amherst and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Amherst and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kHighest 90% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kHighest 62% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Highest 3% above U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Highest 213% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barre and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	10.7Highest
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.