What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).

Hinsdale has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.4%).

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	Hinsdale
People
Population	8,412Highest	3,997Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	53.3±10.6Highest 37% above U.S.
	Hinsdale 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 U.S.: 22%	15%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hinsdale 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 U.S.: 17.2%	28.6%±9.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hinsdale 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 U.S.: 35.7%	12.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	0.5%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$69,191±$5kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Hinsdale and Barre 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.	$200,700±$19kLowest 40% below U.S.
	Barre and Hinsdale 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.	$1,050±$409Lowest 26% below U.S.
	Barre and Hinsdale 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.	$4,899Lowest 57% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.8%±22.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hinsdale 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%	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Hinsdale 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	#110 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Hinsdale School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Hinsdale High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	7.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.