What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($221k median).

Barnard has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Wolcott	Barnard
People
Population	1,507Highest	1,211Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.4%Lowest VT: +2.8%	+4.8%Highest VT: +2.8%
Median age	42.4±5.9 about the VT average	42.4±6 about the VT average
Kids under 18	22.8%±5.2Lowest VT: 17.9%	26.9%±5.3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Barnard and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11.1%±2.4Lowest VT: 21.4%	22%±3.6Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.1%Lowest VT: 43.8%	55.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2.4%±1.8Lowest VT: 7%
	Wolcott and Barnard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,259±$10kLowest 13% below VT	$97,581±$19kHighest 20% above VT
	Barnard and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$221,300±$23kLowest 30% below VT	$402,600±$71kHighest 27% above VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,059±$118Lowest 14% below VT	$1,372±$80Highest 11% above VT
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,930Lowest 22% below VT	$6,038Highest 20% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	75.7%±21.8Highest VT: 48.4%	27%±19.8Lowest VT: 48.4%
Below poverty line	9.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	2.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Lowest VT: 73.2%	85.4%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 7 yrs newer than VT	1971Lowest 5 yrs older than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 13% above VT	29 minHighest 21% above VT
Work from home	13.9%±4.2Lowest VT: 16.9%	19.3%±10.8Highest VT: 16.9%
	Barnard and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Wolcott School District	Mountain Views Unified Union School District #76
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.