What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most people working from home (6.5%).

Oppenheim has the most affordable homes ($113k 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	Oppenheim
People
Population	1,910Highest	1,796Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9% NY: +4.2%	-9% NY: +4.2%
Median age	45.2±6.7Lowest 14% above NY	46.7±7Highest 17% above NY
	Oppenheim and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±4.8Highest NY: 20.5%	20.8%±4.1Lowest NY: 20.5%
	Barre and Oppenheim are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.8Lowest NY: 17.9%	22.5%±4.1Highest NY: 17.9%
	Oppenheim and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	13%Lowest NY: 40.2%	13.2%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.9%±0.8Lowest NY: 7%	2.5%±1.9Highest NY: 7%
	Oppenheim 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±$14kHighest 14% below NY	$69,148±$13kLowest 20% below NY
	Barre and Oppenheim are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$135,900±$28kHighest 68% below NY	$112,700±$7kLowest 73% below NY
	Barre and Oppenheim 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	$864±$62Lowest 47% below NY
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,466Highest 47% below NY	$3,012Lowest 54% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.7%±35.3Highest NY: 52.1%	8.9%±37.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Barre and Oppenheim 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%	15.7%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest NY: 54.3%	91.2%Highest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1975Highest 16 yrs newer than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 36% below NY	28 minHighest 15% below NY
Work from home	6.5%±2.8Highest NY: 14.9%	3.2%±2.4Lowest NY: 14.9%
	Barre and Oppenheim are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	OPPENHEIM-EPHRATAH-ST. JOHNSVILLE CSD
High school in town	—	None in town
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.