Compare towns
New Haven vs Barre vs Middlebury
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
New Haven has the most kids (17.1% under 18).
Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k median).
Middlebury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).
Middlebury is a college town. 32.6% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.
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.
| Measure | New Haven | Barre | Middlebury |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,792Lowest |
8,412 |
9,175Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -2.5% VT: +2.8% |
-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
+7.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 48±3.9Highest 11% above VT |
42.2±6.6 about the VT average |
31.8±3.7Lowest 26% below VT |
| New Haven and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.1%±4.4Highest VT: 17.9% |
13.5%±3.8 VT: 17.9% |
11.6%±1.9Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| New Haven and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.2%±2.4Highest VT: 21.4% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4% |
20.7%±2.6 VT: 21.4% |
| New Haven and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.8%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.1% VT: 43.8% |
55.4%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 0.9%±0.9Lowest VT: 7% |
3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
32.6%±1.1Highest VT: 7% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $92,321±$17kHighest 14% above VT |
$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT |
$86,169±$16k 6% above VT |
| New Haven and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $379,300±$19k 20% above VT |
$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT |
$409,700±$30kHighest 29% above VT |
| Middlebury and New Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,163±$143Highest 6% below VT |
$1,093±$58Lowest 11% below VT |
$1,156±$113 6% below VT |
| New Haven and Middlebury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,967 18% above VT |
$5,192Lowest 3% above VT |
$6,868Highest 36% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 20.1%±6.7Lowest VT: 48.4% |
34.4%±10.3 VT: 48.4% |
50.9%±14.4Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Middlebury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.1%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
17.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
10.7% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.2%Highest VT: 73.2% |
50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
65.1% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1981Highest 5 yrs newer than VT |
1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT |
1976 same as VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 22 minHighest 7% below VT |
19 min 21% below VT |
16 minLowest 33% below VT |
| Work from home | 17.8%±5.8 VT: 16.9% |
10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
18.8%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9% |
| Middlebury and New Haven 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 | #17 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Mt. Abraham Unified School District #61 | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Patricia Hannaford Career Center · Addison Central Unified Union School District #55 |
| High school in town | None in town | Spaulding Union High School | Middlebury Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7Lowest |
12.6Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.