What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most affordable homes ($201k median).

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	2,815Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.9±6.5Highest 15% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Barton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windham 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 U.S.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$201,200±$28kLowest 40% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$793±$70Lowest 44% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,355Lowest 8% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.6%±12.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham 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 U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	13.4%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windham 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24	Windham School District
High school in town	Lake Region Union High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	12.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.