What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolfeboro has the most expensive homes ($547k median).

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	Wolfeboro	Barre
People
Population	6,571Lowest	8,412Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-6.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	57±1.8Highest 47% above U.S.	42.2±6.6Lowest 8% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.7%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Wolfeboro and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	34.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Barre and Wolfeboro are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$94,375±$22kHighest 17% above U.S.	$65,625±$7kLowest 19% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$546,500±$60kHighest 64% above U.S.	$210,400±$15kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,103±$76Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,093±$58Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Wolfeboro and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,531Lowest 45% above U.S.	$5,192Highest 66% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	12%±11.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	34.4%±10.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	17.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	50.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	22.9%±6.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#46 of 120 in NH	#19 of 70 in VT
School district	Governor Wentworth Regional School District	Barre Unified Union School District #97 · Central Vermont Career Center
High school in town	Kingswood Regional High School	Spaulding Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.