What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the oldest population (median age 45.2).

Elba has the most people working from home (11.5%).

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	Elba
People
Population	1,910Lowest	2,210Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-8.7%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.2±6.7Highest 14% above NY	33.8±5.6Lowest 15% below NY
	Barre and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±4.8Lowest NY: 20.5%	25.3%±4.3Highest NY: 20.5%
	Elba and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.8Highest NY: 17.9%	14.5%±2.2Lowest NY: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13%Lowest NY: 40.2%	24.3%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±0.8Lowest NY: 7%	4.9%±3.4Highest NY: 7%
	Elba and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,906±$14kLowest 14% below NY	$91,875±$21kHighest 7% above NY
	Elba and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$135,900±$28kLowest 68% below NY	$149,700±$17kHighest 65% below NY
	Elba and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,158±$208Highest 29% below NY	$966±$123Lowest 40% below NY
	Barre and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,466Lowest 47% below NY	$4,124Highest 37% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.7%±35.3Highest NY: 52.1%	48.5%±20.8Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Barre and Elba are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.4%Highest NY: 14%	8.2%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest NY: 54.3%	85.2%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1954Highest 5 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 36% below NY	23 minHighest 28% below NY
Work from home	6.5%±2.8Lowest NY: 14.9%	11.5%±3.4Highest NY: 14.9%
	Elba and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	ELBA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	—	ELBA JUNIOR-SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	—	6.4
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.