What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2%).

Barre has the most people working from home (10.5%).

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	Brewer	Barre
People
Population	9,652Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kHighest 17% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kHighest 26% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
	Barre and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brewer and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	19 minHighest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Brewer 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	#32 of 133 in ME	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Brewer High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	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.