What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Bath	Barre
People
Population	8,815Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kHighest 14% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kHighest 7% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
	Barre and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1947Highest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 9% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bath 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	#31 of 133 in ME	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Morse High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	10.7Lowest
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.