Compare towns
St. Johnsbury vs Barre vs Bennington
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 kids (21% under 18).
Barre has the most renters (49.6% rent).
Bennington has grown the fastest since 2010 (-2.7%).
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 | Bennington |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 7,368Lowest |
8,412 |
15,249Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -3.1% VT: +2.8% |
-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8% |
-2.7%Highest VT: +2.8% |
| Median age | 42.8±3.8 about the VT average |
42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average |
44.7±2.3Highest 4% above VT |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 21%±2.9Highest VT: 17.9% |
13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9% |
17.7%±2.3 VT: 17.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 21.1%±3.6 VT: 21.4% |
19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4% |
25.2%±2.8Highest VT: 21.4% |
| Bennington 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+ | 30.3%Lowest VT: 43.8% |
36.1% VT: 43.8% |
36.9%Highest VT: 43.8% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 5.6%±2.2 VT: 7% |
3.4%±1.9Lowest VT: 7% |
5.8%±1.6Highest VT: 7% |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $57,738±$9kLowest 29% below VT |
$65,625±$7kHighest 19% below VT |
$59,446±$7k 27% 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 | $177,700±$17kLowest 44% below VT |
$210,400±$15k 34% below VT |
$213,300±$15kHighest 33% below VT |
| Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $914±$44Lowest 26% below VT |
$1,093±$58 11% below VT |
$1,133±$63Highest 8% below VT |
| Bennington and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,916Lowest 22% below VT |
$5,192Highest 3% above VT |
$4,513 10% below VT |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48%±11 VT: 48.4% |
34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4% |
68.8%±14.1Highest VT: 48.4% |
| Bennington and St. Johnsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 16.8% VT: 10.1% |
17.3%Highest VT: 10.1% |
13.2%Lowest VT: 10.1% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 59.6%Highest VT: 73.2% |
50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2% |
58.4% VT: 73.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1944Lowest 32 yrs older than VT |
1947 29 yrs older than VT |
1961Highest 15 yrs older than VT |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 20 minHighest 17% below VT |
19 min 21% below VT |
17 minLowest 27% below VT |
| Work from home | 17.6%±4.8Highest VT: 16.9% |
10.5%±4.1Lowest VT: 16.9% |
15.1%±4.4 VT: 16.9% |
| St. Johnsbury and Bennington 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 | #58 of 70 in VT |
| School district | — | Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center | Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87 |
| High school in town | — | Spaulding Union High School | Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 10.7Lowest |
14.7Highest |
| 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.