What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dorset has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Dorset
People
Population	8,412Highest	2,092Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+5%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average	45.9±7.5Highest 6% above VT
	Dorset 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 VT: 17.9%	24%±5.5Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.9%±4.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Dorset 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 VT: 43.8%	72.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±2.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Barre and Dorset 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 VT	$111,250±$40kHighest 37% above VT
	Dorset 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 34% below VT	$569,200±$57kHighest 80% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,420±$296Highest 15% above VT
	Dorset and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT	$7,489Highest 49% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	74.4%±22.5Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	11.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1972Highest 4 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	22 minHighest 8% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	29.3%±7.5Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	—
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Taconic and Green Regional School District #63
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.