Compare towns
Barre vs Windsor 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).
Windsor has the most homeowners (96.5%).
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 | Windsor | St. Johnsbury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,412Highest |
254Lowest |
7,368 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
— | -3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 42.2±6.6 8% above U.S. |
40.2±18.8Lowest 3% 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% |
25.2%±14.7Highest U.S.: 22% |
21%±2.9 U.S.: 22% |
| Windsor and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 19.4%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
15.7%±8Lowest 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% |
12.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
30.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.9%±4.2 U.S.: 6.4% |
5.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| St. Johnsbury and Windsor 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. |
$103,750±$40kHighest 29% above U.S. |
$57,738±$9kLowest 28% below U.S. |
| Windsor and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $210,400±$15k 37% below U.S. |
$337,500±$40kHighest about the U.S. average |
$177,700±$17kLowest 47% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S. |
— | $914±$44Lowest 35% below U.S. |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,192Highest 66% above U.S. |
$3,381Lowest 8% above U.S. |
$3,916 26% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
66.7%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
48%±11 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Windsor 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% |
10.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
16.8% U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
96.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
59.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1947 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S. |
1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
32 minHighest 22% above U.S. |
20 min 26% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
15%±16.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
17.6%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| St. Johnsbury and Windsor 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 | — | #60 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | — | — |
| High school in town | Spaulding Union High School | — | — |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 10.7 |
— | — |
| 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.