What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.8%).

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	West Bath
People
Population	8,412Highest	1,863Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+1.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.	54.2±5.6Highest 39% above U.S.
	West Bath 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%	14.7%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	West Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29.4%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	West Bath 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±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.	$103,333±$27kHighest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.	$422,800±$102kHighest 27% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,112±$327Highest 21% below U.S.
	West Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.	$3,516Lowest 13% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.1%±26.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	West Bath and Barre 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%	3.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	21 minHighest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.1%±6.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	West Bath 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	—
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center	West Bath Public Schools
High school in town	Spaulding Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.