Compare towns
Barre vs St. Albans vs Bennington vs Brattleboro
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 highest household income ($66k).
St. Albans has the youngest population (median age 38.7).
Bennington has the shortest commute (17 min average).
Brattleboro has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.1%).
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 | St. Albans | Bennington | Brattleboro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 8,412 |
6,954Lowest |
15,249Highest |
12,122 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-0.6% VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 about the VT average |
38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
45.6±4.5Highest 6% above VT |
| Brattleboro and Bennington 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% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
19%±2.8 VT: 17.9% |
| St. Albans and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 VT: 21.4% |
13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
25.5%±3.2Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 36.1% VT: 43.8% |
31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
46.5%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
2.7%±1.6Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
4.1%±1.6 VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Brattleboro 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 |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
$58,241±$8k 28% below VT |
| Barre and Bennington 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 |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
$257,300±$18k 19% below VT |
| St. Albans and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58 11% below VT |
$1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT |
| St. Albans and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192 3% above VT |
$4,436Lowest 12% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
$5,700Highest 13% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
51.8%±11.8 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
46.9%±9.6 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 17.3% VT: 10.1% |
19.5%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
17.8% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4% VT: 73.2% |
49%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
58.5%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 29 yrs older than VT |
1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT |
1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT |
1955 21 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 21% below VT |
23 minHighest 4% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
19 min 19% below VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
12.1%±3.5 VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
17.9%±4Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington 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 | #58 of 70 in VT | #33 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans) | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Brattleboro Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7 |
11.4 |
14.7Highest |
9.0Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.