Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,277, settled in 1813.
Bolton’s best subject grades are an A+ for health, an A for schools, and an A− for incomes; its weakest is a C for walkability. 6.7% of residents are 65 or older in Bolton, below both Vermont’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (18%). On health, just 8 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better. 50% of the land in Bolton is conserved, against 14% in Vermont’s towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. No town in Vermont scores higher than Bolton on the outdoors. The biggest place to walk is Mount Mansfield State Forest, 5,339 acres with 33 miles of trail. Bolton has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Bolton beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Vermont), ordered by how far Bolton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 88 in 1790, a low of 88 in 1790, 1,301 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 2 maps from 1924 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bolton, 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 Bolton.
92 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Bolton’s trail density is 2.2 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Mansfield State Forest | 33 mi | 5,339 |
| 2. Camel's Hump State Park | 7.8 mi | 4,273 |
| 3. Preston Pond Conservation Area | 6.1 mi | 398 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District #401. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smilie Memorial Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 69 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Bolton beats the Vermont average on 20 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 24% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bolton. Only 4 of the 72 Vermont towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Bolton.
| Bolton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 30% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bolton | VT |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.1% | 9.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7% | 10.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.1% of Bolton working residents work locally. Since 2013, Bolton has added 91 jobs, to 250 in 2023. 2.9% of Bolton residents live below the poverty line.
| Bolton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $111,000 | $80,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.1% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The July high in Bolton is 77°F. Bolton has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bolton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Bolton home is worth about $418,000, up 2.6% in a year, 7% above the Vermont typical home.
| Bolton | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,299 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bolton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi LakeLake Champlain
10 mi MountainMount Mansfield
10 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
in town Ski areaBolton Valley Resort76 runs · 1,557 ft vertical
18 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft vertical
13 mi Ski areaSmugglers' Notch Resort110 runs · 2,533 ft verticalLake Champlain: Copernicus Sentinel-2, ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Mount Mansfield: Original uploader was Calzarette (Joe Calzarette) at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bolton Valley Resort: Gopats92, Public domain · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Smugglers' Notch Resort: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Bolton; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Bolton residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
1,182 counted in 2010 and 1,301 in 2020; an estimated 1,277 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Bolton on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Vermont, United States
Bolton is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,301 at the time of the 2020 census. The town is home to Bolton Valley, a popular ski resort. The main road passing through the town is U.S. Route 2, which follows the north bank of the Winooski River. Interstate 89 also passes through the town, parallel to Route 2, but does not have an interchange there.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($93,043 across the Burlington-South Burlington, VT metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
