What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1%).

Barre has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Whitingham	Barre
People
Population	1,368Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1%Highest VT: +2.8%	-6.2%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±7.1Highest 8% above VT	42.2±6.6Lowest about the VT average
	Whitingham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.5Highest VT: 17.9%	13.5%±3.8Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Whitingham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±2.3Highest VT: 21.4%	19.4%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest VT: 43.8%	36.1%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	3.4%±1.9Highest VT: 7%
	Barre and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,625±$11kHighest 13% below VT	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below VT
	Whitingham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,300±$30kHighest 17% below VT	$210,400±$15kLowest 34% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$673±$150Lowest 45% below VT	$1,093±$58Highest 11% below VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,055Lowest about the VT average	$5,192Highest 3% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±47.3Highest VT: 48.4%	34.4%±10.3Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Whitingham and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	17.3%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest VT: 73.2%	50.4%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1947Lowest 29 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 62% above VT	19 minLowest 21% below VT
Work from home	9.7%±5.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	10.5%±4.1Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barre and Whitingham 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	—	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Twin Valley Middle High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	10.7Highest
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.