Compare towns
Roxbury vs Barre vs Nelson
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Roxbury has the most homeowners (95.5%).
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Nelson has the most people working from home (31.5%).
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 | Roxbury | Barre | Nelson |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 299Lowest |
8,412Highest |
648 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | — | -6.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
-13.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.2±17.7Highest 11% above U.S. |
42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S. |
42.3±11.7 9% above U.S. |
| Roxbury and Nelson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 14.7%±11.5 U.S.: 22% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22% |
27.5%±6.6Highest U.S.: 22% |
| Nelson and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 17.4%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
19.4%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2% |
24.8%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Nelson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
36.1% U.S.: 35.7% |
61.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
3.4%±1.9 U.S.: 6.4% |
0.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Roxbury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $69,226±$14k 14% below U.S. |
$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S. |
$99,792±$23kHighest 24% above U.S. |
| Nelson and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $323,100±$219k about the U.S. average |
$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S. |
$340,900±$49kHighest about the U.S. average |
| Nelson and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | — | $1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S. |
$1,203±$243Highest 15% below U.S. |
| Nelson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,787Highest 86% above U.S. |
$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S. |
$5,575 79% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
34.4%±10.3 U.S.: 51.1% |
40%±68.8Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
| Nelson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 3.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
90.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1969 11 yrs older than U.S. |
1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S. |
1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 21 min 21% below U.S. |
19 minLowest 30% below U.S. |
24 minHighest 8% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1% |
31.5%±8Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #19 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Nelson School District |
| High school in town | — | Spaulding Union High School | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.