Compare towns
Barre vs Chatham vs St. Albans
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 affordable homes ($210k median).
Chatham has the most homeowners (82.8%).
St. Albans has the most people working from home (12.1%).
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 | Chatham | St. Albans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Highest |
430Lowest |
6,954 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | -0.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
48.3±8.6Highest 24% above U.S. |
38.7±2Lowest about the U.S. average |
| Chatham 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% |
21.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 22% |
20.5%±3.7 U.S.: 22% |
| Chatham and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
26.5%±10Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
13.9%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Chatham 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% U.S.: 35.7% |
38.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
31.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.7%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Chatham 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 U.S. |
$66,042±$19kHighest 18% below U.S. |
$57,980±$7kLowest 28% below U.S. |
| Chatham 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. |
$362,900±$42kHighest 9% above U.S. |
$263,400±$18k 21% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S. |
— | $1,150±$78Highest 19% below U.S. |
| St. Albans and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192Highest 66% above U.S. |
$3,690Lowest 18% above U.S. |
$4,436 42% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
33.3%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
51.8%±11.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| St. Albans and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.3% U.S.: 12.5% |
8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
19.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4% U.S.: 65.2% |
82.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
49%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S. |
1945Lowest 35 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
36 minHighest 35% above U.S. |
23 min 14% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
7.3%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
12.1%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| St. Albans 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 | — | #46 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | — | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | — | Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans) |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
— | 11.4Highest |
| 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.