What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barton has the most people working from home (16.5%).

Wells River has the most expensive homes ($171k median).

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	Wells River
People
Population	730Highest	340Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.4% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	40±5.5Lowest 7% below VT	42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average
	Wells River 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%	17.1%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.7%Highest VT: 43.8%	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.6Highest VT: 7%	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$40,833±$8kHighest 50% below VT	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$146,900±$30kLowest 54% below VT	$170,800±$103kHighest 46% below VT
	Wells River and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$761±$150Lowest 38% below VT	$900±$336Highest 27% below VT
	Wells River and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,185Lowest 37% below VT	$4,154Highest 18% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.8%±18.2Highest VT: 48.4%	47.6%±14.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%	38.8%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	52.7%Highest VT: 73.2%	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Highest 31 yrs older than VT	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 32% above VT	34 minHighest 43% above VT
Work from home	16.5%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Barton and Wells River 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	—
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.