What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

Barre has the most kids (15.8% under 18).

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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Thompson	Barre
People
Population	9,337Highest	5,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.	43.8±8.5Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Thompson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.8%±5.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Barre and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thompson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	31.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.	$107,727±$13kHighest 33% above U.S.
	Barre and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.	$394,300±$55kHighest 19% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,030±$713Highest 27% below U.S.
	Barre and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.	$5,163Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.2%±27.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT	#134 of 282 in MA
School district	Thompson School District	Quabbin
High school in town	Tourtellotte Memorial High School	Quabbin Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	12.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.