What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Colchester 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.

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

Measure	Barre	Colchester
People
Population	8,412Lowest	17,648Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT
	Barre and Colchester 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%	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barre and Colchester 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 VT: 43.8%	40.8%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT	$5,471Highest 9% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	46.2%±10.6Highest VT: 48.4%
	Colchester 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 VT: 10.1%	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	20 minHighest 15% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#18 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Colchester School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Colchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.