Compare towns
Barre vs Bennington vs Hermon
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%).
Hermon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+19.3%).
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.
| Measure | Barre | Bennington | Hermon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412 |
15,249Highest |
6,727Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
-2.7% U.S.: +7.4% |
+19.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
44.7±2.3Highest 15% above U.S. |
41.1±4.7Lowest 6% 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% |
21.6%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Hermon 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% |
20.4%±4.7 U.S.: 17.2% |
| Bennington and Hermon 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% |
36.9% U.S.: 35.7% |
37.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.1 U.S.: 6.4% |
| Bennington and Hermon 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. |
$96,629±$22kHighest 20% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$213,300±$15k 36% below U.S. |
$333,600±$32kHighest about the U.S. average |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,133±$63 20% below U.S. |
$1,406±$202Highest about the U.S. average |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192Highest 66% above U.S. |
$4,513 45% above U.S. |
$2,761Lowest 11% below U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
28.2%±19.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
13.2% U.S.: 12.5% |
6.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
58.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
75.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1961 19 yrs older than U.S. |
2000Highest 20 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 30% below U.S. |
17 minLowest 35% below U.S. |
23 minHighest 14% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
8.8%±4.2Lowest 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 | #54 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 | Hermon Public Schools |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Hermon High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
14.7Highest |
14.6 |
| 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.