Compare towns
St. Johnsbury vs Kirby 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 renters (46% rent).
Kirby has the most kids (30% under 18).
Barnet has the highest household income ($67k).
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 | Kirby | Barnet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 5,859Highest |
756Lowest |
1,855 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
— | -2.6%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.6±4.5 about the VT average |
38.8±7.1Lowest 10% below VT |
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%±3.2Lowest VT: 17.9% |
30%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9% |
21.6%±4.9 VT: 17.9% |
| Kirby and Barnet 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% |
19.2%±5.1Lowest VT: 21.4% |
28.8%±3.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 30.7%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
32.4% VT: 43.8% |
35.6%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.9%±2.6Highest VT: 7% |
4.6%±3.1 VT: 7% |
1%±0.9Lowest VT: 7% |
| St. Johnsbury and Kirby 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 |
$54,792±$21k 33% below VT |
$67,386±$15kHighest 17% below VT |
| Barnet and Kirby 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 |
$302,900±$63kHighest 4% below VT |
$247,900±$24k 22% below VT |
| Kirby and Barnet 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 |
$1,250±$326Highest about the VT average |
$974±$72 21% below VT |
| Kirby 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 |
$4,597Highest 9% below VT |
$4,489 11% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.2%±11.6 VT: 48.4% |
25%±100Lowest 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% VT: 10.1% |
21.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
8.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 54%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
93.5%Highest VT: 73.2% |
79.9% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT |
1985Highest 9 yrs newer than VT |
1974 2 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 19 minLowest 18% below VT |
34 minHighest 43% above VT |
28 min 17% above VT |
| Work from home | 17.6%±5 VT: 16.9% |
20.6%±9.3Highest VT: 16.9% |
13.3%±4.5Lowest VT: 16.9% |
| Kirby and St. Johnsbury 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 | — | — |
| School district | — | — | Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78 |
| High school in town | — | — | None in town |
| 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.