What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).

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	Bath
People
Population	8,412Lowest	8,815Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.
	Bath 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%	15.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bath 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%	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath 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±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$69,390±$12kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Bath and Barre 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.	$310,900±$30kHighest 7% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Barre and Bath 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.	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath 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%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	64.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Highest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath 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	#31 of 133 in ME
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	RSU 01 - LKRSU
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Morse High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	14.8Highest
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.