Compare towns
Barre vs Wells River vs Bennington
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).
Wells River has the most affordable homes ($171k median).
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
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 | Wells River | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412 |
340Lowest |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
— | -2.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
42.7±12.7 about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
| Bennington and Wells River 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% |
17.1%±6.5 VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Bennington and Wells River 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% |
19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington 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% VT: 43.8% |
16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Barre 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 |
$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% 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±$15k 34% below VT |
$170,800±$103kLowest 46% below VT |
$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT |
| Bennington and Barre 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 |
$900±$336Lowest 27% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Bennington 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 |
$4,154Lowest 18% below VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
47.6%±14.8 VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Wells River 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% |
38.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4% VT: 73.2% |
47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 29 yrs older than VT |
1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 21% below VT |
34 minHighest 43% above VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Bennington 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 | — | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7Lowest |
— | 14.7Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | 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.