What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Concord has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).

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	Concord
People
Population	8,412Lowest	44,375Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.	40.7±1.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Barre and Concord 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%	17.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Concord 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 U.S.: 17.2%	18.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Concord 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%	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Concord 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±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$84,902±$5kHighest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$350,900±$13kHighest 5% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,441±$43Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.	$7,227Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	44.1%±5.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Concord 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 U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	56.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Concord 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	#89 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Concord High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	13.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.