What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oneida has the most kids (19% under 18).

Barre has grown the fastest since 2010 (-6.2%).

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	Oneida	Barre
People
Population	10,171Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-9.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47±2.4Highest 21% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Oneida and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oneida and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oneida and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oneida and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$61,597±$6kLowest 24% below U.S.	$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below U.S.
	Barre and Oneida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$160,100±$9kLowest 52% below U.S.	$210,400±$15kHighest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$903±$77Lowest 36% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Highest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,778Lowest 21% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.2%±10.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Oneida and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1947Highest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minHighest 28% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	8%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barre and Oneida 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	#106 of 484 in NY	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	ONEIDA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	ONEIDA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Highest	10.7Lowest
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.