What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnet has the most affordable homes ($248k median).

Shrewsbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.8%).

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	Shrewsbury
People
Population	1,855Highest	1,237Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+3.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 11% above VT	42.3±5.6Lowest about the VT average
	Barnet and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±4.9Lowest VT: 17.9%	25.1%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Shrewsbury and Barnet 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%	21.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barnet and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	41%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.9Lowest VT: 7%	3.2%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Shrewsbury and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,386±$15kLowest 17% below VT	$91,250±$23kHighest 12% above VT
	Shrewsbury 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±$24kLowest 22% below VT	$331,900±$52kHighest 5% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$974±$72Lowest 21% below VT	$1,438±$380Highest 17% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,489Lowest 11% below VT	$5,350Highest 6% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±29.9Lowest VT: 48.4%	71.4%±100Highest VT: 48.4%
	Shrewsbury and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	95.2%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	1975Highest 1 yr older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 17% above VT	26 minLowest 11% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	15.7%±4.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Shrewsbury 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	Mill River Unified Union School District #52
High school in town	None 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.