Compare towns
Barre vs Augusta vs Bennington
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barre has the highest household income ($66k).
Augusta has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.2%).
Bennington has the most homeowners (58.4%).
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.
| Measure | Barre | Augusta | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Lowest |
19,077Highest |
15,249 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-1.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S. |
42.5±2.4 9% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S. |
| Bennington and Augusta 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% |
18.9%±2.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Augusta and Bennington 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% |
21.5%±2.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.1% U.S.: 35.7% |
28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.6%±1.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Augusta 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. |
$47,979±$3kLowest 41% below U.S. |
$59,446±$7k 26% below U.S. |
| Barre and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15k 37% below U.S. |
$201,000±$18kLowest 40% below U.S. |
$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S. |
| Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58 23% below U.S. |
$919±$79Lowest 35% below U.S. |
$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S. |
| Bennington 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. |
$2,465Lowest 21% below U.S. |
$4,513 45% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
49.2%±8.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
18.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
13.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
53.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 30% below U.S. |
19 minHighest 29% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #19 of 70 in VT | #119 of 133 in ME | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Cony | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
17.9Highest |
14.7 |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.