What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3%).

Barre has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Hardwick	Barre
People
Population	2,965Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	47.1±7.4Highest 9% above VT	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average
	Hardwick and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.8%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9%	13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Hardwick and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27%±5.9Highest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
	Hardwick and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.4Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Barre and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,297±$17kHighest 14% above VT	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$184,700±$39kLowest 42% below VT	$210,400±$15kHighest 34% below VT
	Barre and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$875±$406Lowest 29% below VT	$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT
	Barre and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,351Lowest 14% below VT	$5,192Highest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.6%±41.3Highest VT: 48.4%	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Hardwick and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.7%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.4%Highest VT: 73.2%	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 14 yrs older than VT	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 23% above VT	19 minLowest 21% below VT
Work from home	11.8%±6Highest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Hardwick 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	#68 of 70 in VT	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Mountain View Union Elementary School District #94 · Hazen Union High School District #26	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Hazen Union High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.6Lowest	10.7Highest
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.