Compare towns
St. Albans vs Windsor vs Bennington vs Barre
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
St. Albans has the most expensive homes ($263k median).
Windsor has grown the fastest since 2010 (+0.2%).
Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).
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 | St. Albans | Windsor | Bennington | Barre |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||||
| People | ||||
| Population | 6,954 |
3,554Lowest |
15,249Highest |
8,412 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -0.6% VT: +2.8% |
+0.2%Highest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7% VT: +2.8% |
-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 38.7±2Lowest 10% below VT |
44.8±6.5Highest 4% above VT |
44.7±2.3 4% above VT |
42.2±6.6 about the VT average |
| Windsor and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Kids under 18 | 20.5%±3.7Highest VT: 17.9% |
19.5%±5.2 VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
| St. Albans and Windsor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Age 65+ | 13.9%±2.5Lowest VT: 21.4% |
29.7%±6.9Highest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8 VT: 21.4% |
19.4%±3.9 VT: 21.4% |
| Windsor and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 31.7%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
39.7%Highest VT: 43.8% |
36.9% VT: 43.8% |
36.1% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.7%±1.6 VT: 7% |
0.7%±0.8Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
| Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Cost of living | ||||
| Household incomemedian | $57,980±$7k 29% below VT |
$52,484±$11kLowest 35% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% below VT |
$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT |
| Barre and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $263,400±$18kHighest 17% below VT |
$207,500±$31kLowest 34% below VT |
$213,300±$15k 33% below VT |
$210,400±$15k 34% below VT |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,150±$78Highest 7% below VT |
$1,026±$89Lowest 17% below VT |
$1,133±$63 8% below VT |
$1,093±$58 11% below VT |
| St. Albans and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,436Lowest 12% below VT |
$5,209Highest 3% above VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
$5,192 3% above VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 51.8%±11.8 VT: 48.4% |
31.5%±17Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
34.4%±10.3 VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and St. Albans are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||||
| Below poverty line | 19.5%Highest VT: 10.1% |
7.8%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
13.2% VT: 10.1% |
17.3% VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | ||||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 49%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
57.8% VT: 73.2% |
58.4%Highest VT: 73.2% |
50.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT |
1945Lowest 31 yrs older than VT |
1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT |
1947 29 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | ||||
| Average commuteone way | 23 min 4% below VT |
23 minHighest 3% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
19 min 21% below VT |
| Work from home | 12.1%±3.5 VT: 16.9% |
10.3%±5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4Highest VT: 16.9% |
10.5%±4.1 VT: 16.9% |
| Bennington and St. Albans 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 | #46 of 70 in VT | #61 of 70 in VT | #58 of 70 in VT | #19 of 70 in VT |
| School district | Maple Run Unified Union School District #57 | — | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center |
| High school in town | Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans) | — | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School | Spaulding Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.4 |
— | 14.7Highest |
10.7Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | ||||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | 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.