Compare towns
Rutland vs St. Johnsbury vs Barre
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Rutland has the oldest population (median age 49).
St. Johnsbury has the most people working from home (17.6%).
Barre has the highest household income ($66k).
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 | Rutland | St. Johnsbury | Barre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 15,712Highest |
7,368Lowest |
8,412 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -4.2% VT: +2.8% |
-3.1%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 49±2.1Highest 14% above VT |
42.8±3.8 about the VT average |
42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
| Kids under 18 | 15.5%±2.4 VT: 17.9% |
21%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| Age 65+ | 26.2%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4% |
21.1%±3.6 VT: 21.4% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4% |
| Rutland and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 33.4% VT: 43.8% |
30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.1%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.2%±0.8Lowest VT: 7% |
5.6%±2.2Highest VT: 7% |
3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
| St. Johnsbury and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $57,675±$8kLowest 29% below VT |
$57,738±$9k 29% below VT |
$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT |
| Barre and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $185,500±$16k 41% below VT |
$177,700±$17kLowest 44% below VT |
$210,400±$15kHighest 34% below VT |
| Barre and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $995±$65 19% below VT |
$914±$44Lowest 26% below VT |
$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT |
| Barre and Rutland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,657 8% below VT |
$3,916Lowest 22% below VT |
$5,192Highest 3% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.6%±8.2Highest VT: 48.4% |
48%±11 VT: 48.4% |
34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
| Rutland and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 15.3%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
16.8% VT: 10.1% |
17.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 54.9% VT: 73.2% |
59.6%Highest VT: 73.2% |
50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1944 32 yrs older than VT |
1947Highest 29 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 16 minLowest 32% below VT |
20 minHighest 17% below VT |
19 min 21% below VT |
| Work from home | 8.1%±2.6Lowest VT: 16.9% |
17.6%±4.8Highest VT: 16.9% |
10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
| St. Johnsbury 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 | #51 of 70 in VT | #60 of 70 in VT | #19 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Rutland City School District | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center |
| High school in town | Rutland Senior 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 | 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.