What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gorham has the most homeowners (71.6%).

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	Gorham	Barre
People
Population	2,682Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.9±3.6Highest 39% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	12.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±2.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gorham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,275±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,600±$49kLowest 51% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kHighest 37% below U.S.
	Barre and Gorham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$838±$83Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,334Lowest 39% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41%±20.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gorham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minHighest 14% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	1.7%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Gorham Randolph Shelburne Cooperative School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Gorham High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	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.