Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,226, settled in 1781. 60% more nonprofits per person than the typical Vermont town.
Trash & recyclingBraintree’s best subject grades are an A− for civic life and a B+ for health; its weakest is a C for walkability. 33% of residents are 65 or older in Braintree, above both Vermont’s towns (22%) and U.S. towns (18%). On cost of living, just 8 of Vermont’s 172 towns do better. Only 3 of Vermont’s 172 towns score lower on the outdoors. Braintree Hill Meetinghouse and Cemetery is on the National Register of Historic Places. Braintree has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Braintree beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Braintree School | PK–6 | 88 |
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 Braintree is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 221 in 1790, a low of 221 in 1790, 1,207 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Braintree, 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 Braintree.
2.6% of Braintree working residents work locally, below both the Vermont town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Braintree’s average trip to work is 26 minutes. The top destinations are Randolph (28%), Berlin (6%) and Hartford (5%).
| Braintree | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 2.6% | 16% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braintree SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 88 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VT on state tests and graduation
Braintree beats the Vermont average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 29% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Braintree. Among 72 Vermont towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who binge drink than Braintree.
| Braintree | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 30% | 36% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Braintree | VT |
|---|---|---|
| More adults who get no exercise | 22.5% | 18.9% |
| More adults with arthritis | 32.5% | 27.8% |
| More adults with diabetes | 10.2% | 8.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Braintree home is worth about $293,000, down 4.7% in a year, 25% below the Vermont typical home. The median rent in Braintree is $840 a month.
| Braintree | Vermont towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $840 a month | $1,135 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Braintree has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 8° and about 124 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Braintree.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Braintree. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi LandmarkFort Ticonderoga
25 mi Ski areaKillington Resort184 runs · 3,031 ft vertical
16 mi Ski areaSugarbush Resort142 runs · 2,569 ft vertical
18 mi National forestGreen Mountain National Forest
39 mi Ski areaStowe Mountain Resort144 runs · 2,390 ft vertical
19 mi Ski areaMad River Glen77 runs · 1,998 ft verticalFort Ticonderoga: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Killington Resort: NHRHS2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sugarbush Resort: Mrtrek1701 at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Green Mountain National Forest: Brian W. Schaller, FAL · Stowe Mountain Resort: Stevage, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mad River Glen: Jrclark (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Braintree
About 2 of every 100 Braintree residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Vermont.
Where Braintree’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Braintree.
Town in Vermont, United States
Braintree is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States created by Vermont charter on August 1, 1781. The population was 1,207 at the 2020 census. Braintree includes the places Braintree Center, Braintree Hill, East Braintree, West Braintree, Peth and Snowsville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
60% more nonprofits per person than the typical Vermont town.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Jefferson P. Kidder and Edwin Flint.
