What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Hampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Hampton
People
Population	8,412Lowest	16,426Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	55.8±2.1Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	11.6%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Hampton 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%	30.9%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Hampton 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.	$95,233±$9kHighest 18% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$550,200±$39kHighest 65% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,628±$94Highest 15% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.	$6,813Highest 118% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	56.8%±10.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	73.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#31 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Hampton School District · Winnacunnet Cooperative School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Winnacunnet High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	10.1Lowest
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.