Compare towns
Barre vs Castleton vs Springfield vs Bennington
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 renters (49.6% rent).
Castleton has the most homeowners (79%).
Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).
Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.7%).
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 | Castleton | Springfield | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,412 |
4,453Lowest |
9,084 |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-5.5% VT: +2.8% |
-3.3% VT: +2.8% |
-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 about the VT average |
38.3±4.3Lowest 11% below VT |
43.2±3.7 about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
| Bennington and Springfield 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% |
18.8%±6.4Highest VT: 17.9% |
18.6%±3.4 VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| Castleton and Springfield 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% |
20.7%±4.6 VT: 21.4% |
23.6%±3.7 VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington and Springfield 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% |
37.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
23.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
19.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7% |
2.3%±1.4Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6 VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $65,625±$7k 19% below VT |
$73,854±$23kHighest 9% below VT |
$66,571±$13k 18% below VT |
$59,446±$7kLowest 27% below VT |
| Castleton and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15k 34% below VT |
$224,800±$71kHighest 29% below VT |
$192,400±$20kLowest 39% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
| Castleton 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 11% below VT |
$1,137±$195Highest 8% below VT |
$963±$100Lowest 22% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
| Castleton and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192Highest 3% above VT |
$3,167Lowest 37% below VT |
$4,807 5% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
67.7%±21.9 VT: 48.4% |
49.6%±15.6 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
12.5%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
14.8% VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
79%Highest VT: 73.2% |
67.7% VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT |
1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT |
1958 18 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 21% below VT |
19 min 17% below VT |
27 minHighest 16% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
6.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±5.5Highest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Schools | ||||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #19 of 70 in VT | #39 of 70 in VT | #64 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62 | River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | None in town | Springfield High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
— | 14.3 |
14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.