What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Northfield has the most homeowners (73.5%).

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	Northfield
People
Population	8,412Highest	5,920Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-4.7%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average	36.4±4.1Lowest 16% below VT
	Barre and Northfield 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%	14.6%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	Northfield 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 VT: 21.4%	20%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4%
	Northfield 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 VT: 43.8%	34.6%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	15.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT	$71,768±$13kHighest 12% below VT
	Northfield 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	$274,400±$21kHighest 13% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT	$1,018±$207Lowest 18% below VT
	Barre and Northfield 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	$4,878Lowest 3% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	63.3%±17.7Highest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	12.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%	73.5%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT	1956Highest 20 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	27 minHighest 16% above VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	12.1%±4.3Highest VT: 16.9%
	Northfield 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	#42 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Paine Mountain Union School District #68
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Northfield Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	10.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.