Compare towns
Barre vs Bennington vs Brewer
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 most renters (49.6% rent).
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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.
| Measure | Barre | Bennington | Brewer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Lowest |
15,249Highest |
9,652 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S. |
40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S. |
| Bennington 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% |
17.7%±2.3 U.S.: 22% |
20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Brewer 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% |
25.2%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
22.4%±3.6 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Brewer 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% |
36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6 U.S.: 6.4% |
7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Brewer and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $65,625±$7k 19% below U.S. |
$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S. |
$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S. |
| Brewer 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. |
$213,300±$15k 36% below U.S. |
$245,300±$21kHighest 26% below U.S. |
| Brewer and Bennington 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. |
$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S. |
$1,086±$54Lowest 23% 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. |
$4,513 45% above U.S. |
$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
55.7%±13.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Bennington and Brewer 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% |
13.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S. |
1959 21 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minHighest 30% below U.S. |
17 min 35% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 36% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Bennington 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 | #58 of 70 in VT | #32 of 133 in ME |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Brewer Public Schools |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Brewer High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
14.7Highest |
14.0 |
| 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.