What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.4%).

Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Barre	Bennington
People
Population	5,572Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±8.5Lowest 13% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S.
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,727±$13kHighest 33% above U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,300±$55kHighest 19% above U.S.	$213,300±$15kLowest 36% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,030±$713Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#134 of 282 in MA	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Quabbin	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Lowest	14.7Highest
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.