What stands out worked out from the figures below

Colchester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.7%).

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	Colchester	Barre
People
Population	17,648Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	39.3±1.4Lowest 9% below VT	42.2±6.6Highest about the VT average
	Barre and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±2.5Highest VT: 17.9%	13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Colchester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.9%±2.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.9Highest VT: 21.4%
	Barre and Colchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Highest VT: 43.8%	36.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.9%±1.3Highest VT: 7%	3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,891±$9kHighest 21% above VT	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$394,400±$25kHighest 25% above VT	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,474±$122Highest 19% above VT	$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,471Highest 9% above VT	$5,192Lowest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.2%±10.6Highest VT: 48.4%	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Colchester and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.1%Highest VT: 73.2%	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minHighest 15% below VT	19 minLowest 21% below VT
Work from home	19%±3.9Highest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 70 in VT	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Colchester School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Colchester High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.8Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.