What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Waterbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.3%).

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	Waterbury
People
Population	1,855Lowest	5,405Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.6%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5.3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.7±5.3Highest 11% above VT	43.2±3.7Lowest about the VT average
	Barnet and Waterbury 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%	21.9%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9%
	Waterbury 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%	19.8%±4.4Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%	54.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1%±0.9Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±2.8Highest VT: 7%
	Waterbury 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	$103,917±$23kHighest 28% above VT
	Waterbury 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	$447,200±$40kHighest 41% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$974±$72Lowest 21% below VT	$1,027±$535Highest 17% below VT
	Waterbury 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	$6,435Highest 28% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.3%±29.9Highest VT: 48.4%	46.8%±21.7Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Barnet and Waterbury 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%	7.9%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest VT: 73.2%	70.6%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 2 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 17% above VT	30 minHighest 28% above VT
Work from home	13.3%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9%	28.3%±6.8Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#20 of 70 in VT
School district	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78	Harwood Unified Union School District #60
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.