What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitingham has the most expensive homes ($262k median).

Barton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.2%).

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	Barton
People
Population	1,368Lowest	2,815Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+2.2%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	46.4±7.1Highest 8% above VT	44.9±6.5Lowest 4% above VT
	Whitingham and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.5Lowest VT: 17.9%	20.7%±3.8Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barton and Whitingham 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%	23.5%±3.9Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Highest VT: 43.8%	32.7%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.9Lowest VT: 7%	2.9%±1.5Highest VT: 7%
	Barton 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	$66,250±$16kLowest 18% below VT
	Whitingham and Barton 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	$201,200±$28kLowest 36% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$673±$150Lowest 45% below VT	$793±$70Highest 36% below VT
	Barton and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,055Highest about the VT average	$3,355Lowest 33% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±47.3Highest VT: 48.4%	39.6%±12.5Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Whitingham and Barton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest VT: 10.1%	10.2%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest VT: 73.2%	73.9%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 2 yrs older than VT	1966Lowest 10 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 62% above VT	35 minLowest 50% above VT
Work from home	9.7%±5.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	13.4%±5.7Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barton 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	—	#38 of 70 in VT
School district	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	Lake Region Union Elementary Middle School District · Lake Region Union High School District #24
High school in town	Twin Valley Middle High School	Lake Region Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	10.5Highest
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.