Compare towns
Barre vs Hyde Park vs Westminster
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Hyde Park has the highest household income ($90k).
Westminster has the most people working from home (23.1%).
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.
| Measure | Barre | Hyde Park | Westminster |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Highest |
513 |
497Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2% VT: +2.8% |
— | — |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
42.6±10.1 about the VT average |
43.3±11.5Highest about the VT average |
| Westminster and Hyde Park 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% |
22.6%±6.5 VT: 17.9% |
28.4%±7.1Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Westminster and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 VT: 21.4% |
16.4%±3.3Lowest VT: 21.4% |
19.7%±11.4Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Westminster 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%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
41% VT: 43.8% |
45.4%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7% |
2.1%±2Lowest VT: 7% |
2.2%±3.5 VT: 7% |
| Barre and Westminster 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 |
$89,946±$10kHighest 11% above VT |
$81,000±$22k about the VT average |
| Hyde Park and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT |
$221,800±$57k 30% below VT |
$313,600±$39kHighest about the VT average |
| Westminster and Hyde Park are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58 11% below VT |
$1,306±$285Highest 6% above VT |
$749±$315Lowest 39% below VT |
| Hyde Park and Barre 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 |
$3,893Lowest 23% below VT |
$4,480 11% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3 VT: 48.4% |
42.1%±47.5Highest VT: 48.4% |
6.1%±43.8Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Hyde Park 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% |
6.2% VT: 10.1% |
2.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
79.6% VT: 73.2% |
80.1%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 29 yrs older than VT |
1964Highest 12 yrs older than VT |
1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 21% below VT |
26 min 11% above VT |
30 minHighest 26% above VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
7.9%±5.3Lowest VT: 16.9% |
23.1%±15.9Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Westminster 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 | #59 of 70 in VT | #53 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | — | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | — | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.