What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

Barre has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

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	Townsend	Barre
People
Population	9,100Highest	8,412Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Highest 8% above U.S.
	Barre and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barre and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$5,192Lowest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8 U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	North Middlesex	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	10.7Lowest
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.