You’ve seen these lists before. Best places to live in Vermont. Best sururbs in Vermont. Best counties in Vermont.
Etc., etc., etc.
But they all focus on major cities and towns in the Green Mountain State, and no one pays attention to the little guy.
Well, that’s all about to change as we put together a list of the superb small towns in Vermont based on numbers–not opinions or hearsay.
We’ll dive right into our methodology in the next section, but first, we thought you might want to know which places in Vermont ranked the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 15 Best Small Towns To Live In Vermont For 2024
- Woodstock
- Jericho
- South Barre
- Wilder
- Chester
- Williamstown
- Vergennes
- Poultney
- Arlington
- White River Junction
- Brandon
- Milton
- Morrisville
- Bradford
- Manchester Center
What’s the best small town in Vermont? Woodstock is the best small town in Vermont based on the most recent Census data. If you live in one of these small towns like Woodstock, chances are, you’re not surprised. After all, you know how great you have it.
But for the rest of you–keep reading, and we’ll get to just why these small towns made our list.
For more reading on the Green Mountain State check out:
The 15 Best Small Towns In Vermont For 2024
1. Woodstock
/10
Population: 1,033
Median Income: $85,536 (4th Best)
Median Home Value: $711,711 (1st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
2. Jericho
/10
Population: 1,166
Median Income: $97,174 (1st Best)
Median Home Value: $519,340 (2nd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
3. South Barre
/10
Population: 1,362
Median Income: $75,042 (6th Best)
Median Home Value: $325,628 (14th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 0.0%
4. Wilder
/10
Population: 3,634
Median Income: $70,758 (11th Best)
Median Home Value: $333,949 (10th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%
5. Chester
/10
Population: 1,097
Median Income: $63,919 (16th Best)
Median Home Value: $341,039 (9th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
6. Williamstown
/10
Population: 1,508
Median Income: $90,156 (3rd Best)
Median Home Value: $310,828 (16th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.2%
7. Vergennes
/10
Population: 2,561
Median Income: $72,171 (9th Best)
Median Home Value: $342,717 (8th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
8. Poultney
/10
Population: 1,250
Median Income: $67,868 (12th Best)
Median Home Value: $262,485 (21st Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5%
9. Arlington
/10
Population: 1,781
Median Income: $70,938 (10th Best)
Median Home Value: $357,569 (7th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8%
10. White River Junction
/10
Population: 2,766
Median Income: $66,979 (14th Best)
Median Home Value: $360,462 (6th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.6%
11. Brandon
/10
Population: 1,858
Median Income: $54,700 (21st Best)
Median Home Value: $285,876 (19th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%
12. Milton
/10
Population: 3,712
Median Income: $81,526 (5th Best)
Median Home Value: $427,339 (4th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 16.0%
13. Morrisville
/10
Population: 2,576
Median Income: $63,339 (17th Best)
Median Home Value: $332,070 (11th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.4%
14. Bradford
Population: 1,272
Median Income: $95,199 (2nd Best)
Median Home Value: $287,966 (18th Best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2%
15. Manchester Center
/10
Population: 1,835
Median Income: $73,333 (8th Best)
Median Home Value: $441,693 (3rd Best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Methodology: How We Determined The Coolest Towns In Vermont
We threw a lot of criteria at this report to get the best, most complete results of the best small towns in Vermont possible.
Using the most recent data from the Census’s 2018-2022 American Community Survey, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Saturday Night Science, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (Higher is better)
- Lowest Unemployment Rates
- Housing costs (Higher is better. More demand.)
- Adjusted Median Income (Higher is better)
- Highly Educated Adults (Higher is better)
- Insurance Rates (Higher is better)
- Commute Times (Lower is better)
We looked at places with populations lower than 5,000 people and greater than 1,000, of which there were many – 31 to be exact.
We then ranked each place in each category with scores from 1 to 31, averaged them out, and the lowest scores went to our Best Small Towns in Vermont. Top of that list — Woodstock.
This is our tenth time ranking the best small places to live in Vermont.
Summary: Science Can Tackle Any Issue, Even Small Ones
We said it once, and we’ll say it again — this list: it’s just science. We did the research, crunched the numbers, and it turns out these 15 small towns in Vermont are the best in which to live.
And who can argue with that?
The best small towns in Vermont are Woodstock, Jericho, South Barre, Wilder, Chester, Williamstown, Vergennes, Poultney, Arlington, and White River Junction.
If you’re curious, here are the worst small towns in Vermont:
- Enosburg Falls
- Richford
- Fair Haven
For more Vermont reading, check out:
Best Small Towns In Vermont
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Median Home Value | Unemployment Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woodstock, VT | 1,033 | $85,536 | 0.0% | |
| 2 | Jericho, VT | 1,166 | $97,174 | 0.0% | |
| 3 | South Barre, VT | 1,362 | $75,042 | 0.0% | |
| 4 | Wilder, VT | 3,634 | $70,758 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Chester, VT | 1,097 | $63,919 | 2.2% | |
| 6 | Williamstown, VT | 1,508 | $90,156 | 1.2% | |
| 7 | Vergennes, VT | 2,561 | $72,171 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Poultney, VT | 1,250 | $67,868 | 5.5% | |
| 9 | Arlington, VT | 1,781 | $70,938 | 5.8% | |
| 10 | White River Junction, VT | 2,766 | $66,979 | 4.6% | |
| 11 | Brandon, VT | 1,858 | $54,700 | 1.3% | |
| 12 | Milton, VT | 3,712 | $81,526 | 16.0% | |
| 13 | Morrisville, VT | 2,576 | $63,339 | 6.4% | |
| 14 | Bradford, VT | 1,272 | $95,199 | 4.2% | |
| 15 | Manchester Center, VT | 1,835 | $73,333 | 3.4% | |
| 16 | North Bennington, VT | 1,420 | $62,125 | 6.0% | |
| 17 | Swanton, VT | 2,428 | $73,365 | 8.2% | |
| 18 | Randolph, VT | 2,010 | $58,333 | 7.7% | |
| 19 | Bellows Falls, VT | 2,824 | $52,813 | 3.0% | |
| 20 | Windsor, VT | 2,138 | $47,545 | 3.8% | |
| 21 | West Rutland, VT | 2,222 | $47,381 | 1.5% | |
| 22 | Johnson, VT | 1,347 | $49,016 | 10.1% | |
| 23 | Bristol, VT | 1,956 | $65,536 | 8.0% | |
| 24 | Lyndonville, VT | 1,143 | $54,688 | 2.8% | |
| 25 | Newport, VT | 4,431 | $53,026 | 9.6% | |
| 26 | Hardwick, VT | 1,247 | $57,798 | 1.6% | |
| 27 | West Brattleboro, VT | 2,817 | $40,446 | 4.9% | |
| 28 | Springfield, VT | 3,946 | $48,476 | 4.2% | |
| 29 | Fair Haven, VT | 2,422 | $67,300 | 3.5% | |
| 30 | Richford, VT | 1,636 | $52,679 | 8.0% | |
| 31 | Enosburg Falls, VT | 1,554 | $46,250 | 7.1% |
