What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnet has the most kids (21.6% under 18).

Athens has the most people working from home (19.3%).

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	Barnet	Athens
People
Population	1,855Highest	431Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.6% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 11% above VT	47.3±6.5Lowest 10% above VT
	Barnet and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9%	13.9%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barnet and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.8%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4%	21.6%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barnet and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.6%Highest VT: 43.8%	30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.9Lowest VT: 7%	4.9%±3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,386±$15kLowest 17% below VT	$68,438±$30kHighest 16% below VT
	Athens and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$247,900±$24kHighest 22% below VT	$240,400±$32kLowest 24% below VT
	Barnet and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$974±$72Lowest 21% below VT	$1,125±$537Highest 9% below VT
	Athens and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,489Lowest 11% below VT	$5,438Highest 8% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±29.9Highest VT: 48.4%	43.5%±39Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Barnet and Athens are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	12.1%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1973Lowest 3 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 17% above VT	36 minHighest 53% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	Athens and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78	—
High school in town	None in town	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.