What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Essex has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.8%).

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
People
Population	8,412Lowest	11,516Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+12.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average	42.4±1.9Highest about the VT average
	Essex 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%	22.4%±3.3Highest VT: 17.9%
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.9%±3.3Highest VT: 21.4%
	Essex 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%	57.6%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±1.2Lowest VT: 7%
	Barre and Essex 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	$110,199±$14kHighest 36% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT	$447,300±$14kHighest 41% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,569±$138Highest 27% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT	$6,602Highest 31% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	45.9%±13.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Essex 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%	5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	75.9%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1990Highest 14 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	22 minHighest 6% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.5%±5.8Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#13 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	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.