What stands out worked out from the figures below

Castleton has the shortest commute (19 min average).

Barton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Castleton	Barton
People
Population	4,453Highest	2,815Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	38.3±4.3Lowest 11% below VT	44.9±6.5Highest 4% above VT
	Barton and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.8%±6.4Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.7%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±4.6Lowest VT: 21.4%	23.5%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Castleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	19.3%±1.8Highest VT: 7%	2.9%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,854±$23kHighest 9% below VT	$66,250±$16kLowest 18% below VT
	Castleton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$224,800±$71kHighest 29% below VT	$201,200±$28kLowest 36% below VT
	Castleton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,137±$195Highest 8% below VT	$793±$70Lowest 36% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,167Lowest 37% below VT	$3,355Highest 33% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	67.7%±21.9Highest VT: 48.4%	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Castleton and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 17% below VT	35 minHighest 50% above VT
Work from home	6.2%±3.9Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.4%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barton and Castleton 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	#39 of 70 in VT	#38 of 70 in VT
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24
High school in town	None in town	Lake Region Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.5
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.