What stands out worked out from the figures below

Concord has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3%).

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	Concord	Barre
People
Population	44,375Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.7±1.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±1.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Concord and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Concord are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Concord and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,902±$5kHighest 5% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,900±$13kHighest 5% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,441±$43Highest about the U.S. average	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,227Highest 132% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.1%±5.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Concord and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	56.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 13% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	14.1%±1.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Concord 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	#89 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Concord School District · Merrimack Valley School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Concord High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.0Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.