What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Harmony has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

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	Harmony
People
Population	8,412Highest	2,344Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.	41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Barre and Harmony 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%	22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Harmony 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 U.S.: 35.7%	17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Harmony 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.	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.
	Barre and Harmony 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.	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43%±18.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harmony 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%	9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 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%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Harmony 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	—
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	8.5Lowest
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.