Compare towns
Barre vs Augusta vs St. Johnsbury
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%).
St. Johnsbury has the most people working from home (17.6%).
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 | St. Johnsbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412 |
19,077Highest |
7,368Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-1.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S. |
42.5±2.4 9% above U.S. |
42.8±3.8Highest 10% above U.S. |
| St. Johnsbury 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%±2.6 U.S.: 22% |
21%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
| St. Johnsbury and Augusta 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%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Augusta and St. Johnsbury 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% |
28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
30.3% 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% |
5.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| St. Johnsbury 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. |
$57,738±$9k 28% below U.S. |
| Barre and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15kHighest 37% below U.S. |
$201,000±$18k 40% below U.S. |
$177,700±$17kLowest 47% below U.S. |
| Barre and Augusta are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S. |
$919±$79 35% below U.S. |
$914±$44Lowest 35% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192Highest 66% above U.S. |
$2,465Lowest 21% below U.S. |
$3,916 26% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
49.2%±8.3Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48%±11 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Augusta and St. Johnsbury 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% |
16.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
53.8% U.S.: 65.2% |
59.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S. |
1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
19 min 29% below U.S. |
20 minHighest 26% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±3.7 U.S.: 15.1% |
17.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| St. Johnsbury and Augusta 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 | #119 of 133 in ME | #60 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Augusta Public Schools · Maine Arts Academy | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Cony | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
17.9Highest |
— |
| 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.