What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Brunswick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.2%).

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	Brunswick
People
Population	8,412Lowest	17,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.	37.9±2.2Lowest about the U.S. average
	Barre and Brunswick 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%	16.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brunswick 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%	23%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brunswick 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%	51.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.4%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$70,722±$5kHighest 12% below U.S.
	Brunswick 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.	$363,200±$18kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,465±$100Highest 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$4,477Lowest 44% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.8%±9.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	66.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18%±4.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Brunswick 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	#30 of 133 in ME
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	—
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.