Compare towns
Barre vs Strong vs Brandon
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 highest household income ($93k).
Strong has the most people working from home (18.5%).
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.
| Measure | Barre | Strong | Brandon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 8,005Highest |
1,249Lowest |
4,120 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | 0% U.S.: +7.4% |
-7.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+4.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 48.4±4.2 24% above U.S. |
47.5±8.9Lowest 22% above U.S. |
50.1±3.1Highest 29% above U.S. |
| 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 U.S.: 22% |
19.5%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22% |
19.2%±4.3 U.S.: 22% |
| Strong and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.7%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
22%±4.1 U.S.: 17.2% |
22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Brandon and Strong 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
26.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
32.1% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.1%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
2.5%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $93,210±$9kHighest 15% above U.S. |
$47,557±$10kLowest 41% below U.S. |
$64,180±$12k 21% below U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $281,400±$13kHighest 15% below U.S. |
$183,900±$29kLowest 45% below U.S. |
$227,800±$23k 32% below U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,524±$399Highest 8% above U.S. |
$920±$276Lowest 35% below U.S. |
$1,064±$225 25% below U.S. |
| 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 52% above U.S. |
$1,950Lowest 37% below U.S. |
$4,241 36% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 42.4%±20.4Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
20.9%±52.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
41.7%±15.1 U.S.: 51.1% |
| 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 U.S.: 12.5% |
13.9% U.S.: 12.5% |
14.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
84.6% U.S.: 65.2% |
84.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Highest 6 yrs older than U.S. |
1971 9 yrs older than U.S. |
1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 15% below U.S. |
31 minHighest 18% above U.S. |
24 min 10% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 13.7%±4.5 U.S.: 15.1% |
18.5%±9.8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
9.9%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Strong 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 | — | #69 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Barre Unified Union School District #97 | RSU 58/MSAD 58 | Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53 |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | Otter Valley Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | — | 9.9 |
| 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.