What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barre has the highest household income ($93k).

Brandon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.1%).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Barre	Brandon
People
Population	8,005Highest	4,120Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	0%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	48.4±4.2Lowest 12% above VT	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT
	Brandon and Barre 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%	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Brandon and Barre 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%	22.3%±4.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.2 VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7 VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,210±$9kHighest 15% above VT	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$281,400±$13kHighest 11% below VT	$227,800±$23kLowest 28% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,524±$399Highest 24% above VT	$1,064±$225Lowest 14% below VT
	Barre and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,737Highest 6% below VT	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.4%±20.4Highest VT: 48.4%	41.7%±15.1Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Barre and Brandon 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%	14.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	84.3%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 4% below VT	24 minHighest about the VT average
Work from home	13.7%±4.5Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Barre and Brandon 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	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Barre Unified Union School District #97	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	None in town	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.