What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Middlebury
People
Population	8,412Lowest	9,175Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average	31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%	11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barre and Middlebury 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%	20.7%±2.6Highest VT: 21.4%
	Middlebury 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%	55.4%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT	$86,169±$16kHighest 6% above VT
	Middlebury 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 34% below VT	$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,156±$113Highest 6% below VT
	Middlebury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT	$6,868Highest 36% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	50.9%±14.4Highest VT: 48.4%
	Middlebury 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%	10.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	65.1%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1976Highest same as VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 21% below VT	16 minLowest 33% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 70 in VT	#17 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Middlebury Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	12.6Highest
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.