What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Meredith has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.7%).

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	Meredith
People
Population	8,412Highest	6,758Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Meredith 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%	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Meredith 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.	$87,019±$19kHighest 8% above U.S.
	Meredith 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±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$480,100±$48kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,149±$304Highest 19% below U.S.
	Meredith and Barre 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.	$5,006Lowest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	48.5%±9.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Meredith 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%	7.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%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%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	23.7%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.1Highest
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.