What stands out worked out from the figures below

Atkinson has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Atkinson	Barre
People
Population	7,267Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57.1±2.8Highest 47% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.1%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Atkinson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Atkinson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Atkinson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,380±$32kHighest 81% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$555,200±$65kHighest 67% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$32Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Atkinson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,918Highest 122% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.5%±39.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Atkinson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 7% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	21.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Timberlane Regional School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	None in town	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.