Compare towns
Barre 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 ($93k).
Bennington has the most affordable homes ($213k median).
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 | Bennington | Brattleboro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,005Lowest |
15,249Highest |
12,122 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | 0% VT: +2.8% |
-2.7%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+1.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 48.4±4.2Highest 12% above VT |
44.7±2.3Lowest 4% above VT |
45.6±4.5 6% above VT |
| Barre and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.6%±3.3Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
19%±2.8Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Brattleboro and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.7%±3.5Lowest 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+ | 39.2% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
46.5%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.2Lowest 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 | $93,210±$9kHighest 15% above VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
$58,241±$8kLowest 28% below VT |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $281,400±$13kHighest 11% below VT |
$213,300±$15kLowest 33% below VT |
$257,300±$18k 19% below VT |
| Barre and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,524±$399Highest 24% above VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,074±$58Lowest 13% below VT |
| Barre and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,737 6% below VT |
$4,513Lowest 10% below VT |
$5,700Highest 13% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.4%±20.4Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
46.9%±9.6 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and Brattleboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
17.8%Highest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.4%Highest VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.5% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT |
1961 15 yrs older than VT |
1955Lowest 21 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minHighest 4% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
19 min 19% below VT |
| Work from home | 13.7%±4.5Lowest 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 | #58 of 70 in VT | #33 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Windham Southeast Unified Union School District #96 |
| High school in town | None in town | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Brattleboro Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 14.7Highest |
9.0Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | 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.