What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Essex Junction has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.2%).

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	Essex Junction
People
Population	8,412Lowest	10,803Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+14.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average	39.3±3.1Lowest 9% below VT
	Barre and Essex Junction 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%	19.6%±3.2Highest VT: 17.9%
	Essex Junction 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%	14.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barre and Essex Junction 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%	52.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	6.7%±2.2Highest VT: 7%
	Essex Junction 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 VT	$89,257±$16kHighest 10% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT	$407,500±$20kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,544±$135Highest 25% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT	$6,797Highest 35% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	61.3%±14.5Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	59.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	19 minHighest 18% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Essex Junction 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	#14 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Essex High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.7Highest
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.