What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10%).

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	Bedford
People
Population	8,412Lowest	23,746Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	45±2.2Highest 16% above U.S.
	Bedford 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%	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bedford 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%	63%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bedford 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.	$167,418±$12kHighest 107% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$612,100±$26kHighest 84% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$2,099±$274Highest 49% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.	$9,803Highest 214% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.4%±15.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bedford 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%	2.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1990Highest 10 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	25 minHighest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#7 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Bedford School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Bedford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	13.5Highest
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.