What stands out worked out from the figures below

Keene has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

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	Keene	Barre
People
Population	22,939Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±2.3Lowest 3% below U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Keene are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Keene and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.5%±1.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Keene and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.8%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,445±$8kHighest about the U.S. average	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
	Keene and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$252,500±$12kHighest 24% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,342±$68Highest 5% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,812Highest 118% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.5%±6.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Keene and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.	19 minHighest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	15.6%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Keene 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	#81 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Keene School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Keene High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	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.