What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.9%).

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	Kingston	Barre
People
Population	6,275Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.5±5.7Highest 43% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.9 U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8 U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.7%±6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Kingston and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Kingston and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,330±$12kHighest 30% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$492,900±$58kHighest 48% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$156Highest about the U.S. average	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,906Highest 153% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±46.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Kingston and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	15.7%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kingston 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	#78 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Sanborn Regional High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	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.