Compare towns
St. Johnsbury vs Barre vs Barnet
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Vermont.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
St. Johnsbury has the most people working from home (17.6%).
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Barnet has the most homeowners (79.9%).
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. Johnsbury | Barre | Barnet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,859 |
8,412Highest |
1,855Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.2% VT: +2.8% |
-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-2.6%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.6±4.5 about the VT average |
42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
47.7±5.3Highest 11% above VT |
| Barnet and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 20%±3.2 VT: 17.9% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
21.6%±4.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
| Barnet and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.6%±3.9 VT: 21.4% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4% |
28.8%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.7%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.1%Highest VT: 43.8% |
35.6% VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.9%±2.6Highest VT: 7% |
3.4%±1.9 VT: 7% |
1%±0.9Lowest 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 | $53,711±$8kLowest 34% below VT |
$65,625±$7k 19% below VT |
$67,386±$15kHighest 17% below VT |
| Barnet and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $174,500±$17kLowest 45% below VT |
$210,400±$15k 34% below VT |
$247,900±$24kHighest 22% below VT |
| Barnet and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $912±$45Lowest 26% below VT |
$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT |
$974±$72 21% below VT |
| Barre and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,778Lowest 25% below VT |
$5,192Highest 3% above VT |
$4,489 11% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.2%±11.6 VT: 48.4% |
34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
59.3%±29.9Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Barnet and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 19.7%Highest VT: 10.1% |
17.3% VT: 10.1% |
8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 54% VT: 73.2% |
50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
79.9%Highest VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1947 29 yrs older than VT |
1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 min 18% below VT |
19 minLowest 21% below VT |
28 minHighest 17% above VT |
| Work from home | 17.6%±5Highest VT: 16.9% |
10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
13.3%±4.5 VT: 16.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and Barnet 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 | #60 of 70 in VT | #19 of 70 in VT | — |
| School district | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78 |
| 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 |
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.