What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Hardwick has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3%).

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	Hardwick
People
Population	8,412Highest	2,965Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-3%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT
	Hardwick 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%	15.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Hardwick and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick 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%Highest VT: 43.8%	33.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%
	Barre and Hardwick 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	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kHighest 34% below VT	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT
	Barre and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT
	Barre and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 3% above VT	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	48.6%±41.3Highest VT: 48.4%
	Hardwick 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%	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	29 minHighest 23% above VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	11.8%±6Highest VT: 16.9%
	Hardwick 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	#68 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Hazen Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	8.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.