What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Williston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.2%).

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	Williston
People
Population	5,572Lowest	10,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±8.5Lowest 13% above U.S.	45.4±4.5Highest 17% above U.S.
	Williston 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%	20.5%±5.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Williston 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%	21%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Williston 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%	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Williston 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.	$106,967±$12kLowest 32% above U.S.
	Barre and Williston 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.	$475,800±$40kHighest 43% above U.S.
	Williston 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.	$1,832±$130Highest 30% above U.S.
	Williston 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.	$5,592Highest 79% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±17.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Williston 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%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1993Highest 13 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	20 minLowest 25% below U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.3%±7.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Williston 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	#11 of 70 in VT
School district	Quabbin	Champlain Valley Unified Union School District #56
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9	—
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.