What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most kids (15.8% under 18).

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

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	Thompson
People
Population	5,572Lowest	9,337Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.8±8.5Lowest 13% above U.S.	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.
	Thompson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Thompson 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%	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thompson 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Thompson 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.	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Barre and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,300±$55kHighest 19% above U.S.	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,030±$713Highest 27% below U.S.	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Barre and Thompson 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.	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT
School district	Quabbin	Thompson School District
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Tourtellotte Memorial High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	7.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.