What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most kids (20.7% under 18).

Walden has the most people working from home (21.4%).

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	Walden
People
Population	2,815Highest	1,037Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2% VT: +2.8%	+2.2% VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.9±6.5Lowest 4% above VT	48.8±3.2Highest 13% above VT
	Walden 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%	14.3%±3.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Walden 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%	20.4%±2.6Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Walden 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%	26.4%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%	4%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Walden and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,250±$16kLowest 18% below VT	$88,000±$15kHighest 8% above VT
	Walden and Barton 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	$238,900±$23kHighest 25% below VT
	Walden 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	$900±$136Highest 27% below VT
	Walden 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	$3,944Highest 22% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%	56.3%±86.8Highest VT: 48.4%
	Walden and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.2%Highest VT: 10.1%	9.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	93.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 50% above VT	26 minLowest 10% above VT
Work from home	13.4%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	21.4%±6.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Walden and Barton 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	—
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	Lake Region Union High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
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.