What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).

Bethlehem has the most people working from home (31.2%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barre	Bethlehem
People
Population	8,412Highest	2,537Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-1.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	50.6±8.5Highest 30% above U.S.
	Bethlehem 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%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bethlehem 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%	28.2%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bethlehem 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%	45.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.9%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Bethlehem 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.	$85,029±$18kHighest 5% above U.S.
	Bethlehem 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.	$288,300±$22kHighest 13% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,174±$81Highest 17% below U.S.
	Bethlehem and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.	$5,418Highest 74% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.3%±18.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bethlehem 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%	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	20 minHighest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	31.2%±12.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#34 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Bethlehem School District · Profile School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Profile Senior High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	8.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.