What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most people working from home (10.5%).

Gorham has the most homeowners (71.6%).

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	Gorham
People
Population	8,412Highest	2,682Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham 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±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kHighest 37% below U.S.	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41%±20.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gorham 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%	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#57 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Gorham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	9.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.