Compare towns
Barre vs Brattleboro vs Guildhall
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k median).
Brattleboro has the most people working from home (17.9%).
Guildhall has the highest household income ($115k).
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 | Brattleboro | Guildhall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412 |
12,122Highest |
371Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
— |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT |
42.6±7.8 about the VT average |
| Brattleboro and Guildhall are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
19%±2.8 VT: 17.9% |
22.6%±7.5Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Guildhall and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.5%±3.2 VT: 21.4% |
26.1%±5.5Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Guildhall and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.1% VT: 43.8% |
46.5%Highest VT: 43.8% |
33.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
4.1%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
1.1%±3.1Lowest VT: 7% |
| Brattleboro 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±$7k 19% below VT |
$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT |
$115,000±$46kHighest 42% above VT |
| Guildhall 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 34% below VT |
$257,300±$18k 19% below VT |
$321,200±$62kHighest about the VT average |
| Guildhall and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT |
$1,074±$58 13% below VT |
$850±$717Lowest 31% below VT |
| Barre and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192 3% above VT |
$5,700Highest 13% above VT |
$4,625Lowest 8% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
46.9%±9.6 VT: 48.4% |
75%±100Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Guildhall and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.3% VT: 10.1% |
17.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
11.9%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.5% VT: 73.2% |
93.7%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT |
1955 21 yrs older than VT |
1958Highest 18 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 21% below VT |
19 min 19% below VT |
25 minHighest 7% above VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
17.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9% |
2.3%±2.2Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Brattleboro 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 | #33 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Brattleboro Union High School | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Highest |
9.0Lowest |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
VT 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.