Compare towns
Barre vs Townsend vs St. Johnsbury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).
St. Johnsbury has the most people working from home (17.6%).
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.
| Measure | Barre | Townsend | St. Johnsbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412 |
9,100Highest |
7,368Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-3.1% U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S. |
42.8±3.8Highest 10% above U.S. |
| St. Johnsbury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22% |
21%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
21.1%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| St. Johnsbury 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
35.5% U.S.: 35.7% |
30.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
5.1%±2.4 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| St. Johnsbury and Townsend 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 U.S. |
$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S. |
$57,738±$9kLowest 28% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15k 37% below U.S. |
$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S. |
$177,700±$17kLowest 47% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58 23% below U.S. |
$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S. |
$914±$44Lowest 35% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192 66% above U.S. |
$6,031Highest 93% above U.S. |
$3,916Lowest 26% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48%±11 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Townsend and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
16.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
82%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S. |
1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
37 minHighest 41% above U.S. |
20 min 26% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
17.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| St. Johnsbury 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 | #136 of 282 in MA | #60 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | North Middlesex | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | North Middlesex Regional | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
13.1Highest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.