What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brandon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.1%).

Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).

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	Brandon	Barre
People
Population	4,120Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	50.1±3.1Highest 16% above VT	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4.3Highest VT: 17.9%	13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.3%±4.1Highest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.5%±1.7Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Barre and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$64,180±$12kLowest 21% below VT	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT
	Barre and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$227,800±$23kHighest 28% below VT	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,064±$225Lowest 14% below VT	$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT
	Barre and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,241Lowest 16% below VT	$5,192Highest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±15.1Highest VT: 48.4%	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Brandon and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Highest 25 yrs older than VT	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest about the VT average	19 minLowest 21% below VT
Work from home	9.9%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barre and Brandon 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	#69 of 70 in VT	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Otter Valley Unified Union School District #53	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Otter Valley Union High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	10.7Highest
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.