What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the oldest population (median age 43.8).

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury
People
Population	5,572Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±8.5Highest 13% above U.S.	31.8±3.7Lowest 18% below U.S.
	Barre and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Middlebury 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%	20.7%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlebury 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%	55.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	32.6%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,727±$13kHighest 33% above U.S.	$86,169±$16kLowest 7% above U.S.
	Barre and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,300±$55kLowest 19% above U.S.	$409,700±$30kHighest 23% above U.S.
	Middlebury 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 27% below U.S.	$1,156±$113Highest 18% below U.S.
	Middlebury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,163Lowest 66% above U.S.	$6,868Highest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±14.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middlebury 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%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	16 minLowest 41% below U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.8%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Middlebury 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	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Quabbin	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	12.6Lowest
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.