What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harmony has the most kids (22.9% under 18).

Barre has the most expensive 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	Harmony	Barre
People
Population	2,344Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±7Lowest 7% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$58,600±$11kLowest 27% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Barre and Harmony are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$128,300±$15kLowest 61% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kHighest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$788±$40Lowest 44% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,805Lowest 10% below U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43%±18.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harmony and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest about the U.S. average	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	8.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Harmony 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	—	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	PANAMA CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	PANAMA HIGH SCHOOL	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	8.5Lowest	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.