What stands out worked out from the figures below

Canaan has the most homeowners (77.3%).

Barre has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Canaan	Barre
People
Population	3,811Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±3.7Highest 14% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Canaan and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Canaan and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Canaan are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Canaan and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,583±$6kHighest about the U.S. average	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$254,000±$26kHighest 24% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,140±$90Highest 19% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Canaan and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,985Highest 92% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	74.4%±25.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	14.9%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Canaan 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	#83 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Mascoma Valley Regional School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Mascoma Valley Regional High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	10.7Highest
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.