What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wells River has the most expensive homes ($171k median).

Barton has the most people working from home (16.5%).

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	Wells River	Barton
People
Population	340Lowest	730Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.4% VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.7±12.7Highest about the VT average	40±5.5Lowest 7% below VT
	Wells River and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±6.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	24.1%±5.4Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±3.5Lowest VT: 21.4%	21.2%±4.2Highest VT: 21.4%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.3%Lowest VT: 43.8%	21.7%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±3.1Lowest VT: 7%	1.9%±1.6Highest VT: 7%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$38,688±$5kLowest 52% below VT	$40,833±$8kHighest 50% below VT
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$170,800±$103kHighest 46% below VT	$146,900±$30kLowest 54% below VT
	Wells River and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$900±$336Highest 27% below VT	$761±$150Lowest 38% below VT
	Wells River and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,154Highest 18% below VT	$3,185Lowest 37% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.6%±14.8Lowest VT: 48.4%	58.8%±18.2Highest VT: 48.4%
	Barton and Wells River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	38.8%Highest VT: 10.1%	25.8%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%	52.7%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 38 yrs older than VT	1945Highest 31 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 43% above VT	31 minLowest 32% above VT
Work from home	5.2%±9.3Lowest VT: 16.9%	16.5%±10.4Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barton and Wells River 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	—	#38 of 70 in VT
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.