Compare towns
Barre vs Rockingham vs St. Johnsbury
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).
Rockingham has the oldest population (median age 46.4).
St. Johnsbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3.1%).
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 | Rockingham | St. Johnsbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Highest |
4,807Lowest |
7,368 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2% VT: +2.8% |
-8.5%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-3.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
46.4±2.6Highest 8% above VT |
42.8±3.8 about the VT average |
| Rockingham and St. Johnsbury 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% |
19.2%±4.3 VT: 17.9% |
21%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and Rockingham 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% |
29.8%±5Highest VT: 21.4% |
21.1%±3.6 VT: 21.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.1% VT: 43.8% |
37.1%Highest VT: 43.8% |
30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7% |
6.1%±2.9Highest VT: 7% |
5.6%±2.2 VT: 7% |
| Rockingham and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $65,625±$7k 19% below VT |
$70,857±$16kHighest 13% below VT |
$57,738±$9kLowest 29% below VT |
| Rockingham 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±$15k 34% below VT |
$210,900±$14kHighest 33% below VT |
$177,700±$17kLowest 44% below VT |
| Rockingham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT |
$1,062±$101 14% below VT |
$914±$44Lowest 26% below VT |
| Barre and Rockingham 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 |
$4,887 3% below VT |
$3,916Lowest 22% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
46.7%±13.7 VT: 48.4% |
48%±11Highest VT: 48.4% |
| St. Johnsbury and Rockingham 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% |
16.7%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
16.8% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
61.7%Highest VT: 73.2% |
59.6% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947Highest 29 yrs older than VT |
1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1944 32 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 21% below VT |
20 minHighest 16% below VT |
20 min 17% below VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
17.9%±7.1Highest VT: 16.9% |
17.6%±4.8 VT: 16.9% |
| Rockingham and St. Johnsbury 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 | #65 of 70 in VT | #60 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Rockingham School District | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | None in town | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7 |
— | — |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.