Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Barton is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades B− overall, 41st among Vermont's 71 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: it is healthier than 61% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $66K, and 10% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $238K, 3.4 years of the county’s $70K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Barton’s average trip to work is 35 minutes, above both the Vermont town median (22 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 2 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Crystal Lake Falls Historic District and Crystal Lake State Park.
Where Barton beats most towns.
Census counts: 128 in 1800, 2,872 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1927 and a map from 1986 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Barton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Barton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Barton.
Barton has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Vermont (mostly inland flooding).
Barton’s median rent is $793 a month. The typical Barton home is worth about $238,000, about the same as a year ago, 39% below the Vermont typical home.
| Barton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $793 a month | $1,137 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Lake Region Union High School District #24. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lake Region Union High School, with 353 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barton Graded SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 136 | C |
| Lake Region Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 353 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 99% of Vermont towns, with expected losses of about $582 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Barton is 77 of 100. Since 1994, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Barton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Island Pond weather station, 13 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 129 days, shorter than in 95% of U.S. towns. The Island Pond weather station, 13 miles away, records that 115 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Barton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 71 in Vermont we compare has a lower July high than Barton.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Barton has about as many jobs (1,193) as working residents, but only 294 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 35.2 minutes, against 23.5 across Vermont.
About one in 4 of Barton’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Barton grew to 1,193 in 2023, 175 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Newport (13%), Derby (8%) and St.
| Barton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 16% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 15% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,130 U.S. towns with household incomes like Barton’s, it is healthier than 81%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income. Within Vermont it is less healthy than 83% of the 71 graded towns: Vermont sets a high bar.
14% of adults binge drink in Barton. Of the 71 Vermont towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Barton. 81% of adults had a checkup this year in Barton.
| Barton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 76% | 79% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 13% | 14% |
| What stands out | Barton | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 80.8% | 76.1% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.4% | 76.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 6.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
12 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Willoughby State Forest, at 581 acres.
| Barton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 14% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willoughby State Forest | — | 581 |
| 2. Willoughby Falls Wildlife Management Area | 0.1 mi | 247 |
| 3. Crystal Lake State Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Barton. Close and well known come first.
4 mi LakeLake Willoughby
17 mi TheatreHaskell Free Library and Opera House
36 mi MountainMount Mansfield
21 mi Ski areaJay Peak Resort79 runs · 1,988 ft vertical
36 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
33 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft verticalLake Willoughby: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Haskell Free Library and Opera House: Thomsonmg2000, CC0 · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Jay Peak Resort: Hanumanix at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Barton
About 3 of every 100 Barton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
3 places in Barton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Vermont, United States
Barton is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,872 at the 2020 census. The town includes two incorporated villages, Barton and Orleans. Approximately a quarter of the town's population lives in each of the villages, and approximately half lives outside the villages. Only four other towns in the state contain two incorporated villages. The Nulhegan Abenaki Tribe, a state-recognized tribe, is headquartered here.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Barton.
| Town | VT rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton | #41 | B− | B− | — | B− | B |
| Brownington | — | — | B− | — | B− | C+ |
| Sheffield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sutton | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Irasburg | — | — | B− | — | B− | B |
| Westmore | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Glover | — | — | C | — | B− | A− |
Brownington, Irasburg and Glover have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Barton, Brownington, Irasburg and Glover report no FBI crime data of their own. Sheffield, Sutton and Westmore aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Barton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Barton grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #41 of 71 in Vermont. It grades B for health and B− for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
2 notable people were born here, including Francis W. Nye and Hazen Kimball.
