What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most affordable homes ($394k median).

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Douglas
People
Population	5,572Lowest	9,207Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±8.5Lowest 9% above MA	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA
	Douglas 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 MA: 19.4%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19%±5.6Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Barre and Douglas 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 MA: 47.3%	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2 MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,727±$13kLowest 4% above MA	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,300±$55kLowest 30% below MA	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,030±$713Lowest 42% below MA	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA
	Douglas and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 14% below MA	$6,338Highest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Barre and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	34 minLowest 16% above MA
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#134 of 282 in MA	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Quabbin	Douglas
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	7.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.