Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety44#8,665/15,637
Economy29#11,115/15,631
Housing58#6,218/14,977
Health43#8,966/15,609
Healthcare94#917/15,650
Environment79#3,182/15,453
Education97#494/15,649
Infrastructure80#3,107/15,650
Community92#1,259/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,724/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Barre, Vermont ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Washington County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Public EV charging ports · high29.7 /10k
99/100Vermont 20.8 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWashington County value
Social associations · high19.8 /10k
98/100Vermont 12.5 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
High school diploma or higher · high94.2%
97/100Vermont 94.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Hot days · low1 days
97/100Vermont 2 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWashington County value
Mental health providers · high692 /100k
96/100Vermont 599 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Grocery stores · high3.3 /10k
96/100Vermont 3.0 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWashington County value

Weaknesses

Suicide rate · high41.6 /100k
1/100Vermont 21.6 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWashington County value
Comfortable days · low21.7%
2/100Vermont 21.6%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWashington County value
Depression · high31.5%
2/100Vermont 27.8%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Child care cost burden · high44.5%
2/100Vermont 50.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWashington County value
Effective property tax rate · high2.35%
3/100Vermont 1.51%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Firearm deaths · high23.3 /100k
9/100Vermont 13.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWashington County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Median household incomeImproving
$38,142 (2015-2019) → $65,625 (2020-2024)
+72%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
78.1% (2015-2019) → 91.2% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
23.7% (2015-2019) → 36.1% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
43.0% (2015-2019) → 34.4% (2020-2024)
−8.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
High school diploma or higherImproving
86.3% (2015-2019) → 94.2% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Poverty rateImproving
22.8% (2015-2019) → 17.3% (2020-2024)
−5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Barre, Vermont improved on 4 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 8 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved4

Household income+72%$38,142 → $65,625
Price / income−0.9×4.2× → 3.2×
Bachelor's++12 points23.7% → 36.1%
Broadband+13 points78.1% → 91.2%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Barre, Vermont between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.2 min2015-2019	18.6 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.7%2015-2019	36.1%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	94%
Broadband subscriptions	78.1%2015-2019	91.2%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	73%
Child poverty rate	34.6%2015-2019	37.3%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Effective property tax rate	2.65%2015-2019	2.35%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	75%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	94.2%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	−0.9×	Improved	97%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4622015-2019	0.4662020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	46%
Median household income	$38,1422015-2019	$65,6252020-2024	+72%	Improved	95%
Poverty rate	22.8%2015-2019	17.3%2020-2024	−5.5 points	Within the margin of error	82%
Rent as share of income	27.7%2015-2019	27.0%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	61%
Rent-burdened households	43.0%2015-2019	34.4%2020-2024	−8.6 points	Within the margin of error	80%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Barre, Vermont five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Barre, Vermont in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Barre, Vermont itself moved +15.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

8,412 residents (±39)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 20–29 women (+5.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

8,412 residents (±39)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

White92%7,753
Black0.1%†10
Hispanic or Latino1.5%†125

Education

6,669 residents (±380)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

No high school diploma5.8%†385
High school or GED32%2,114
Some college20%1,313

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

4,094 households (±281)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Under $25k23%942
$25k–50k15%†622
$50k–75k19%†767
$75k–100k15%†597
$100k–150k14%†565
$150k–200k8.4%†343
$200k or more6.3%†258

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−11.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

4,094 households (±281)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Own50%2,062
Rent50%2,032

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

1,994 households (±304)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Under $75017%†333
$750–1,00019%†384
$1,000–1,50048%961

Home values

2,062 homes (±327)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Under $150k16%†332
$150k–250k57%1,166
$250k–400k24%†502

Age of homes

4,335 homes (±315)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

2010 or later3.2%†138
2000–20094.7%†205
1980–199915%662

Size of homes

4,335 homes (±315)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Studio4.1%†176
1 bedroom22%953
2 bedrooms29%1,240

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,613 workers (±407)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Drive alone74%3,406
Carpool11%†491
Public transit1.7%†77
Walk3.3%†154
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†485
Other0.0%0

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+8.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

4,128 workers (±456)

Barre, Vermont
Vermont share

Under 15 min41%1,684
15–29 min36%1,506
30–44 min15%†613

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Barre, VT

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Washington County, the county holding most of Barre's residents.

Washington County has 2,118 employer establishments, 352 for every 10,000 residents (1.42× the US rate of 248; 1.09× Vermont's), with 26,122 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,868. The Census Bureau also counts 6,477 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 2,118; 6,477 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 352; US 248 · Vermont 322
Paid employees: 26,122
Average annual pay: $54,868; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Washington County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	158	26.2	1.69×More than typical	890	$69,010	648
Ambulatory health care services	134	22.2	1.07×About typical	2,088	$61,885	440
Restaurants and other eating places	103	17.1	0.93×About typical	1,626	$25,426	15
Construction of buildings	83	13.8	1.82×More than typical	436	$60,658	244
Services to buildings and dwellings	75	12.4	1.85×More than typical	223	$42,377	327
Building equipment contractors	62	10.3	1.71×More than typical	469	$67,876	107
Schools, colleges and instruction	61	10.1	2.89×More than typical	2,348	$35,082	265
Automotive repair and maintenance	54	9	1.78×More than typical	223	$50,834	69
Full-service restaurants	52	8.6	1.12×About typical	1,022	$25,762	8
Landscaping services	51	8.5	2.42×More than typical	119	$56,185	135
Architectural, engineering and related services	50	8.3	2.38×More than typical	294	$74,554	103
Gasoline stations	49	8.1	2.51×More than typical	421	$32,038	—

Rank places for an industry Open Washington County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 60,241 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $66.9K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Barre, Vermont: $7.95 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $66.9K; +1,003% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7.95; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service$66.4K99%
Department of the Army$3,1804.8%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

329.1KFY2017
-34.9KFY2018
4.4KFY2019
4.3KFY2020
-4.2KFY2021
6.3KFY2022
-549.3FY2023
120.7KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonscheduled air transportation · 4812$66.4K99%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$3,1804.8%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Barre, Vermont, so they do not add up across cities.

Barre, Vermont's figures are part of those of Washington County, VT ($10.2M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.7% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Barre is mostly in Washington County.

See federal money in Washington County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Barre, Vermont is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Becca BalintD-VT · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 1.2%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Washington County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Barre, VT99

Other cities and towns in Washington County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/5003175

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends