What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ellsworth has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Ellsworth	Barre
People
Population	8,657Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±2.4Highest 11% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,375±$18kHighest 4% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$242,300±$22kHighest 27% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
	Ellsworth and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,017±$195Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
	Barre and Ellsworth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,262Lowest 5% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±15.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minHighest 7% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	7.1%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Ellsworth 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	#63 of 133 in ME	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Ellsworth Public Schools	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Ellsworth High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	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.