What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).

Hampden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.2%).

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	Hampden
People
Population	8,412Highest	7,896Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.	41±2.9Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Barre and Hampden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	25.8%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Hampden 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 U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hampden 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 U.S.	$111,959±$13kHighest 39% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$301,300±$38kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,286±$317Highest 9% below U.S.
	Hampden and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$3,694Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	22.2%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Barre and Hampden 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%	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer 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%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.3%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#6 of 133 in ME
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	RSU 22
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Hampden Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	14.8Highest
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.