What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

St. Albans has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.6%).

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	St. Albans
People
Population	8,412Highest	6,954Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	-0.6%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average	38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT
	Barre and St. Albans 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%	20.5%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9%
	St. Albans and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%	13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barre and St. Albans 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%	31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%	2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%
	Barre and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT	$57,980±$7kLowest 29% below VT
	Barre and St. Albans 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	$263,400±$18kHighest 17% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT	$1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT
	St. Albans 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	$4,436Lowest 12% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%	51.8%±11.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	St. Albans and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	17.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%	19.5%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	49%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Highest 29 yrs older than VT	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 21% below VT	23 minHighest 4% below VT
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%	12.1%±3.5Highest VT: 16.9%
	St. Albans 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	#46 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	Maple Run Unified Union School District #57
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.4Highest
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.