What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windsor has the most people working from home (16.1%).

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	Windsor
People
Population	5,572Lowest	29,468Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.8±8.5Highest 13% above U.S.	43.7±1.9Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Barre and Windsor 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%	19.2%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor 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%	20%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windsor 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%	43.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor 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.	$104,725±$8kLowest 30% above U.S.
	Barre and Windsor 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.	$305,200±$11kLowest 8% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,030±$713Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,681±$62Highest 19% above U.S.
	Windsor 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.	$5,351Highest 72% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.9%±10.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor 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%	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windsor 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	#117 of 149 in CT
School district	Quabbin	Capitol Region Education Council · Windsor School District
High school in town	Quabbin Regional High School	Windsor High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	10.2Lowest
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.