This article, the thirty-fifth in a 50-state series, ranks the best places to live in Vermont based on three criteria: (1) median household income (adjusted for cost of living); (2) educational attainment (% of residents 25 years and over who have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher); and (3) property crime rates per 1,000 residents (burglary and automobile thefts). For purposes of these rankings, “places” are incorporated municipalities with populations greater than 2,000.
Among the twenty best places to live in Vermont, thirteen are suburbs of Burlington, three are suburbs of Hanover, New Hampshire, two are suburbs of Montpelier, and two are exurbs of Albany, New York. By county, twelve of the best places to live in Vermont are located in Chittenden County, two in Bennington, Washington, and Windsor counties respectively, and one each in Addison and Orange counties.
After reading “Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011),” return to this link to read “Largest Cities in Vermont (2011).” A collection of similar articles for the remaining 49 states can be found at these links: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
For the culmination of the 50-state series, read “Best Places to Live in America (2011).”
1. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Norwich, VT (Windsor County)
Population: 3,517
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $87,721
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 77.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.27
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 57 miles NNW
Hanover, NH: 2 miles SE
2. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Charlotte, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 3,702
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $93,693
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 69.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 48 miles ESE
Burlington, VT: 13 miles NNE
3. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Shelburne, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 7,066
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $81,682
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 65.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.05
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 44 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 9 miles NNE
4. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Hinesburg, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 4,544
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,280
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 52.0%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.0
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 41 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 13 miles NNW
5. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Williston, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 8,322
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,797
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 51.7%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.17
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 30 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 8 miles NW
6. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Underhill, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 3,039
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $91,856
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 41 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 22 miles WSW
7. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Jericho, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 5,114
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $77,986
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 49.5%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 36 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 16 miles WSW
8. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Thetford, VT (Orange County)
Population: 2,778
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $70,260
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.27*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 44 miles NNW
Hanover, NH: 12 miles SSW
9. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Woodstock, VT (Windsor County)
Population: 3,148
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $75,880
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 48.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.2
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 54 miles N
Hanover, NH: 19 miles NE
10. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Dorset, VT (Bennington County)
Population: 2,154
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $66,750
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 57.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.74
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 97 miles NNE
Burlington, VT: 94 miles N
Albany, NY: 68 miles SW
11. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Westford, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 2,015
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $79,653
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 42.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 43 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 19 miles SW
12. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Monkton, VT (Addison County)
Population: 2,015
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $79,850
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 37.1%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.42
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 48 miles E
Burlington, VT: 22 miles N
13. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Richmond, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 4,131
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $73,001
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 41.9%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 2.88
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 26 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 13 miles NW
14. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Huntington, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 2,004
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,878
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 45.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 28 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 19 miles NW
15. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – East Montpelier, VT (Washington County)
Population: 2,705
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $67,285
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.8%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 5.82
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 5 miles WSW
Burlington, VT: 45 miles NW
16. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Waterbury, VT (Washington County)
Population: 5,279
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $62,954
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 40.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 1.67
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 12 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 26 miles NW
17. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Essex, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 19,359
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $68,869
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 46.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 4.2
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 37 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 8 miles SW
18. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Essex Junction, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 8,939
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $59,184
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 45.4%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.86*
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 36 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 7 miles WSW
19. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – Manchester, VT (Bennington County)
Population: 4,283
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $57,826
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 45.3%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.74
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 100 miles SSW
Burlington, VT: 101 miles N
Albany, NY: 60 miles SW
20. Best Places to Live in Vermont (2011) – South Burlington, VT (Chittenden County)
Population: 17,208
Median household income (adjusted for cost of living): $56,695
Bachelor’s degree or higher (25 years and over): 50.2%
Property crime rate per 1,000 residents (burglary and auto thefts): 3.97
Distance to Familiar Cities:
Montpelier, VT: 38 miles SE
Burlington, VT: 2 miles NW
*In some cases, municipalities do not report their crime statistics to the FBI or they contract for services with the state or a county law enforcement agency. For those towns, crime rates are extrapolated from municipal, county, state, or contiguous municipality data.
The sources used in support of this article include the latest 1, 3, and 5-year estimates from the U.S. Census and the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report.
More Articles from J.C. Grant
“Average ACT Scores by State (2010)”
“Average SAT Scores by State (2010)”
“Largest U.S. Cities: Population Size (2011)”
“Most_Dangerous_Cities_in_America – Murder Rates”
State Education Rankings: Graduation Rates for High School, College, and Grad/Professional School
“State Education Rankings: SAT Scores”
Source(s):
“All Cities in Vermont,” City-Data.com
“2009 ACS 1-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2007-2009 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2006-2008 ACS 3-year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
“2005-2009 ACS 5-Year Estimates,” U.S. Census Bureau
Uniform Crime Report,” Federal Bureau of Investigation
