What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).

Appleton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.2%).

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	Appleton
People
Population	8,412Highest	1,360Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	49.2±7.4Highest 26% above U.S.
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	26.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.	$53,618±$19kLowest 34% below U.S.
	Barre and Appleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$235,600±$33kHighest 29% below U.S.
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,104±$82Highest 22% below U.S.
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$3,588Lowest 15% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Appleton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	9.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1988Highest 8 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Appleton 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	#19 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Appleton Public Schools
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.