What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most affordable homes ($147k median).

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

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	Barre
People
Population	730Lowest	8,005Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%	0%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	40±5.5Lowest 7% below VT	48.4±4.2Highest 12% above VT
	Barre and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%	16.6%±3.3Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±4.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.7%±3.5Highest VT: 21.4%
	Barre and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	39.2%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.6Lowest VT: 7%	2.5%±1.2Highest VT: 7%
	Barre and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$40,833±$8kLowest 50% below VT	$93,210±$9kHighest 15% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$146,900±$30kLowest 54% below VT	$281,400±$13kHighest 11% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$761±$150Lowest 38% below VT	$1,524±$399Highest 24% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,185Lowest 37% below VT	$4,737Highest 6% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.8%±18.2Highest VT: 48.4%	42.4%±20.4Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Barton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Lowest VT: 73.2%	88.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 32% above VT	23 minLowest 4% below VT
Work from home	16.5%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%	13.7%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Barton 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	#38 of 70 in VT	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	—	Barre Unified Union School District #97
High school in town	—	None in town
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.