What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the oldest population (median age 42.2).

Durham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham
People
Population	8,412Lowest	15,080Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.	20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Durham 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%	11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$124,056±$21kHighest 54% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$504,300±$41kHighest 52% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,429±$143Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.4%±16Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	15.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	64.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	19 minHighest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#9 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Oyster River High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	12.3Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	51 photos →

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.