What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most people working from home (13.4%).

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	Barton	Brandon
People
Population	2,815Lowest	4,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.9±6.5Lowest 4% above VT	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT
	Brandon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%	19.2%±4.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%	22.3%±4.1Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.5Highest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%
	Barton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,250±$16kHighest 18% below VT	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below VT
	Barton and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$201,200±$28kLowest 36% below VT	$227,800±$23kHighest 28% below VT
	Brandon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$793±$70Lowest 36% below VT	$1,064±$225Highest 14% below VT
	Brandon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,355Lowest 33% below VT	$4,241Highest 16% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	41.7%±15.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Brandon and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	14.2%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 10 yrs older than VT	1951Lowest 25 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 50% above VT	24 minLowest about the VT average
Work from home	13.4%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Barton 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	#38 of 70 in VT	#69 of 70 in VT
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53
High school in town	Lake Region Union High School	Otter Valley Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.